By DPA,
Islamabad : A US pilotless aircraft Friday fired two missiles at a suspected militant hideout, killing four Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, an intelligence official said.
The Hellfire missiles targeted a primary school used by the militants as a hideout at around 10:30 a.m. in Maidan Narai village of Ladah, a town in the tribal district of South Waziristan.
“Four foreigners have been confirmed dead and three are injured,” said the intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The term foreigner is locally used for Al Qaeda-linked militants of Arab and Central Asian origin.
“A part of the building has been demolished and some people are still believed to be buried under the debris,” the official said.
It was the second US strike in as many days in South Waziristan, a known sanctuary of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters launching cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan.
US forces carried out dozens of drone attacks on suspected positions of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants last year, which also saw the first documented ground operation by American troops inside Pakistan.
Though the strikes have eliminated several Al Qaeda operatives, the Pakistani government has condemned them, saying they violate Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Islamabad says unilateral action by US forces on its soil might compel it to review its cooperation in the international fight against terrorism.