4 killed in US drone strike in North Waziristan

At least four people were killed and two others injured on Saturday morning when a US drone launched attacks in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan, local media reported.

According to local Urdu TV channel Geo News, the US pilotless plane attacked a suspected house in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The drone fired four missiles at the house located in the Daigan village of Datta Khel area, local media quoted intelligence sources as saying.

As a result of the attack, the house was completely destroyed. Local people started rescue work by themselves as there was no official rescue service available and took out four dead bodies from the debris.

Earlier in January 2010, the Daigan village also came under same kind of US drone strike when it fired two missiles at a compound, killing three people.

Saturday's strike is the sixth of its kind in the country's northwestern region during the past two weeks. So far this year, such drone strikes have killed over 200 people in northwestern tribal regions of Pakistan.

The Barack Obama-led US administration has been pressuring Pakistan to start military operations in North Waziristan, but the Pakistan army showed reasons for not doing so.

US and the NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan believe that North Waziristan is the safe heaven for the militants who allegedly attack NATO forces in Afghanistan and then ran back to Pakistan.

Pakistan, on a number of occasions, protested and showed reservations over such attacks, terming them as the violation of its sovereignty and a big reason of collateral damage.

Pakistani parliament also passed a resolution against the drone strikes but US considered drone strike as an effective way to eliminate militants hiding in Pakistan's northwestern hilly regions