Another drone strike kills five militants in N Waziristan

Miramshah, May 24 (ANI): A U.S. drone strike on a militant compound in Pakistan's North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, killed five insurgents early on Thursday, officials said.

"The drone fired two missiles on a house in Hassokhel town," 25 kilometres east of Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a security official said, adding that five bodies have been recovered so far.

According to The Dawn, two other officials confirmed the attack, saying the casualties may go up.

Washington considers Pakistan's semi-autonomous northwestern tribal belt the main hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

North Waziristan is a stronghold of the Haqqani network - Afghan insurgents blamed for a series of spectacular attacks on Western targets in Kabul - and Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud.

Islamabad has been resisting U.S. pressure to launch a sweeping offensive against militants in the area.

Thursday's drone strike came after one on Wednesday that killed four militants in the same region.

Pakistan says the missile attacks are counter-productive, violate the country's sovereignty, kill civilians and fuel anti-U.S. sentiment. (ANI)