US Drone Strike Kills 7 in Pakistan’s North Waziristan

Pakistani intelligence sources confirmed on Wednesday that a US drone raid took place in the Shawal district of the restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The officials said the aerial attack targeted a house and a vehicle nearby.

The assault killed seven people on the spot as the house was razed to the ground, according to Press TV.

The identities of the victims have not been disclosed yet. However, officials say militants were suspected of residing in the compound for months.

This is the fourth US drone strike in the North Waziristan region since the beginning of this year. The area has become a major stronghold of pro-Taliban militants.

Pakistan has intensified its anti-terror strategy following a December 16 attack on an army-run school in Peshawar, which claimed the lives of some 150 people, 134 of them children. Following the deadly attack in Peshawar, Pakistan lifted the moratorium on the death penalty, which had been in place for about six years.

The United Nations and several human rights organizations have identified the US as the world’s number one user of “targeted killings,” largely due to its drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Washington claims the targets of the drone attacks are militants, but local officials and witnesses maintain that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks over the past few years.