AFP

A US drone strike on Wednesday killed least 18 people in a suspected militant compound in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, as the country's military wages a major offensive against insurgent hideouts.
The attack came in North Waziristan, where for the past month the Pakistani military has been fighting to wipe out longstanding bases of Taliban and other militants.
"A US drone fired two missiles targeting a militant compound in Zoi Saidgai area, killing at least 18 insurgents," a senior security official in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, told AFP.
The official said there had been reports of militants moving to Zoi Saidgai from Miranshah and Mir Ali, the other main town in the area, after the start of the army operation.
Another security official said as many as 20 people may have been killed in the strike, 12 of them Uzbeks.
He said the attack took place around 2:00 am (2100 GMT) while an important meeting was going on in the compound.
In a statement issued to the media, the military claimed of killing 35 terrorists in separate incident of aerial strikes.
"Today early morning 35 fleeing terrorists were killed through aerial strikes in Shawal Valley," it said. 

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