A suspected US drone strike in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border has left at least six people dead, local news reports quoting unnamed officials said Friday.
According to officials, at least three missiles fired from US drones struck a militant compound near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan district, destroying the building and killing six local militants.
Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions, especially North and South Waziristan, are dominated by Taliban militants, who often launch cross-border attacks on U.S. and NATO forces stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.
U.S. forces in Afghanistan often use unmanned drone aircraft to target militants in Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border. Though the U.S. military does not confirm drone attacks, the American armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are believed to be the only entities capable of deploying drones in the region.
The U.S. missile strikes on Taliban militants inside Pakistan is a very sensitive issue in the country and the Pakistani government has protested strongly against such cross-border missile attacks in the past. The Pakistani government says that such attacks violate its sovereignty.
In recent months, the Pakistani government has urged Washington to provide Islamabad with drone technology to enable its armed forces to tackle Taliban militants in the border regions with Afghanistan.
Pakistani leadership insists that the cross-border missile attacks from Afghanistan are counter productive, and promotes anti-American sentiments in Pakistan as they end up killing civilians along with targeted militants.
Friday's drone strike comes hours after more than 50 people were killed and over 100 injured when a suicide bomb blast ripped through a Shiite religious procession in south-western Pakistan earlier in the day.
The incident occurred in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, as several thousands of Shiites marched through the city streets to mark al-Quds Day, which is observed every year to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to protest Israeli occupation of Jerusalem.
Friday's suicide bombing in Quetta followed Tuesday's serial blasts at a Shiite rally in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore that left at least 38 people dead and 300 more injured.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.