ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A missile believed to have been fired by a U.S. drone killed at least four militants on Friday in a Pakistani tribal region known as a haven for Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, intelligence officials said.
The missile struck a house in Razmak, about 30 km (18 miles) south of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan.
"According to initial reports four militants have been killed in the attack on a house," an intelligence official said.
Another official said five militants had been killed.
The United States intensified drone attacks on tribal areas bordering Afghanistan last year and there has been no let-up since the administration led by President Barack Obama took over in January, despite complaints from the Pakistani government.
Including Friday's attack, the United States has carried out about 48 drone air strikes since the beginning of last year, most since September, killing about 465 people, including many foreign militants, according to a tally of reports from Pakistani intelligence agencies and district government officials.
Most of recent attacks have hit targets in the strongholds of Pakistani Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud, in the neighbouring South Waziristan region.
Civilian casualties caused by the missile-carrying, pilotless drones have infuriated many Pakistanis and made it harder for the government to cooperate with the United States.
Pakistan says publicly the U.S. drone attacks violate its sovereignty, but U.S. officials say Islamabad has given its approval.
(Reporting by Haji Mujtaba and Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
