Four killed in U.S. drone attack in Pakistan’s tribal region

Islamabad - A U.S. drone targeted a compound in the restive North Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan on Thursday, killing four suspected militants, including a man who acted as a conduit between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The unmanned spy plane fired two missiles at the compound in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency early this morning, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.

The compound was being used by suspected militants and four of them were killed, the officials said.

Reports said Badar Mansur, a conduit between the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda, was killed in the attack.

This was the second drone attack since Wednesday, when 10 suspected militants were killed in a strike near Miranshah.

Pakistani Taliban militants had begun hiding in buildings they had rented in Miranshah, officials were quoted as saying.

Several militant groups, including Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network, have a presence in North Waziristan Agency, from where they launch cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.

The U.S. slowed down its drone campaign in Pakistan’s tribal belt after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, taking relations between Islamabad and Washington to a new low.