At least six suspected Islamist militants were killed Wednesday in two drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal region along the Afghan border, intelligence officials said, dpa reported.
Both strikes were carried out in the North Waziristan district, a known hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants conducting cross-border raids on NATO-led international troops in Afghanistan.
Intelligence officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the first attack took place in the Mir Ali area, where a suspected unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at a house, killing two accused local Taliban militants.
Hours later, another drone targeted a vehicle in the Datta Kkhel area. Four suspected insurgents died in that strike. Intelligence officials said all four were foreigners.
The term "foreigner" is used by Pakistani intelligence officers to refer to fighters linked with al-Qaeda and hailing from Arab countries, Central Asia and Europe.
The US military has stepped up its attacks in North Waziristan. In the past two months, about 30 drone attacks have been conducted.
Pakistan has publicly protested the attacks, but it is widely believed its intelligence agencies coordinate with the United States to identify potential targets.