At least fifteen suspected militants were killed in a US drone attack in Miran Shah area of Pakistan’s tribal North Waziristan Agency on Friday, officials said.
Six missiles were fired in a attack on a house in village close to border in the area of Miran Shah.
The killed militants belonged to the group led by local Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, officials said.
The target of the attack was a house in the Datta Khel village, some 45 km west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, officials added.
However, private television channels reported that some local people were also killed in the attack and their house collapsed completely.
Two US drone strikes in less than twelve hours has killed 18 people in North Waziristan. Late on Thursday, a missile was fired by a suspected drone near Mirali town, some 20 km from Miranshah, killing three people.
The Obama administration regards missile attacks as a key weapon against Al Qaeda and the Taliban close to the Afghan border.
Earlier this month, Al Qaeda’s reputed No. 3 official, Mustafa al-Yazid, was killed in a similar strike in the North Waziristan region.
There have been more than 35 missile strikes this year alone, the highest tempo since the attacks began in earnest in 2008.
On Thursday, human rights group Amnesty International said that nearly four million people are effectively living under Taliban rule in northwest Pakistan.