(Previous Incident Code: Ob355 )

A US drone strike killed at least four militants, according to security officials. The strike reportedly killed militants who fought under local Pakistani taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

According to several sources two missiles were fired at a compound. None of the dead have been identified, but there are reports that a high value target was killed in the strike. The Express Tribune, citing tribal sources, reported the dead “included one Arab and three Uzbek fighters – two of them members of the banned Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).” A senior security official told AFP: “A US drone fired two missiles at a compound in Mada Khail neighbourhood of Datta Khail area in North Waziristan killing six persons. The death toll is expected to rise.”

This strike came amidst a considerable step-up in Pakistan military operations in the tribal regions. Scores of alleged militants were killed in a series of attacks in the tribal areas and raids in the coastal city of Karachi.