U.S. drone allegedly kills 5 militants in Pakistan
A Pakistani protester holds a burning US flag as they shout slogans during a protest in Multan on February 9, 2012 against the US drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal region.
A US drone has reportedly killed five suspected militants in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border.
The Associated Press cited Pakistani officials as saying that the missiles struck a house early Wednesday in North Waziristan, an area home to several al-Qaida-linked and other militant groups.
"Several US drones flew into the area before dawn and fired four missiles on a compound, killing five militants," a security official told the AFP news agency after the strike in Hurmuz area, east of Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan.
The attack is the first since cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan staged a rally last weekend against the deeply unpopular drones, wrote BBC News.
Khan argued that the unmanned US aircraft violate the country's sovereignty.
But according to Associated Press, Washington relies on the drone strikes in the absence of a Pakistani military operation in the region.
CNN reported that the rally last weekend came to a halt when authorities blocked access to the protest's final destination.
When confronted with the roadblock, Khan directed protesters to turn back, saying the march had achieved its goal of drawing attention to the controversial US drone strikes.