PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suspected U.S. drone strike killed at least seven people and injured four others in Pakistan’s troubled North Waziristan region Monday, a senior Pakistani government official told NBC News. The strike hit a militant compound in Shawal Valley, a mountainous region where local officials say al Qaeda and Taliban fighters fled following a Pakistani military offensive launched in June.
Among those killed were non-Pakistani foreign fighters, according to the official speaking on condition of anonymity. "The drone fired four missiles and struck a militant compound in Shawal valley," he said. "According to initial information, seven militants were killed and four injured." Taliban sources told NBC News that local members associated with Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur were killed in the strike.
Straddling North and South Waziristan, the remote Shawal Valley, has been peppered by drone attacks in recent months.
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