US drone kills three in Pakistan tribal belt

In this undated handout file photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, a MQ-9 Reaper, armed with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided munitions and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, is piloted by Col. Lex Turner during a combat mission over southern Afghanistan. (AP)

PESHAWAR: A US drone killed three suspected militants in an attack on a compound in Pakistan's tribal region on Friday, officials said, in the first strike since President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on the country.
Pakistani officials said the strike took place in remote Ghuz Ghari village in Kurram agency, close to the Afghan border where at least five fighters from the Afghan Taliban had gathered.
"The US drone fired two missiles, at least three fighters from the Afghan Taliban have been killed and two wounded," said a senior government official in Kurram.
The identities of those killed and wounded remained unclear but an intelligence official in Kurram said one of the dead belonged to the Haqqani network.
Two other mid-level government officials confirmed the strike and casualties and said the compound was completely destroyed in the attack.
The use of US drones has dwindled dramatically in recent years in Pakistan, where the strikes have proven extremely controversial with the public and rights groups over human rights and sovereignty concerns.
The US is believed to have ordered at least two other drone attacks this year.