ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – At least six people have
been killed in a US drone strike in the North
Waziristan tribal area, where a Pakistani military
operation against Taliban fighters is ongoing,
intelligence sources tell Al Jazeera.
Two missiles were fired on Thursday on a
compound and a vehicle in the village of
Madakhel in the Dattakhel area of the province,
intelligence sources said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, as
they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the identity
of those killed, as access to the area is restricted.
Thursday's incident is the fourth US strike in
Pakistan since a Pakistani military operation
against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) and its allies in North Waziristan began last
month.
The previous three strikes included twin attacks
on June 12, which killed at least 10 people in
Miranshah, and another strike on Miranshah on
June 18, which killed at least four people.
In a closed-door briefing on July 1, Pervez
Rashid, the Pakistani information minister, said
that US drone strikes during the ongoing
Pakistani military operation were
"counterproductive".
Major-General Asim Bajwa, chief of the army's PR
wing, said that drones "don't help us".
"This is an operation which is Pakistan's own
operation," he said. "We have conceived it. This is
our own capability […] if there is any kind of
support that we've asked for, it's [from] Afghans
across the border or ISAF.
"Drones are not at all, I repeat not at all, part of
our operational plan."
Separately, Tasneem Aslam, spokesperson for
Pakistan's Foreign Office, said: "We have
condemned these attacks. We have made it clear
that these attacks are unacceptable, they violate
Pakistan's sovereignty. … we have said that
drone strikes would complicate our efforts to
eliminate terrorists."
The June 12 strikes broke a six-month hiatus in
the US drone campaign in Pakistan – the longest
such break since US President Barack Obama
took office in 2009.
