At least five suspected militants were killed and four others were injured in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's northwest tribal region of North Waziristan in the early hours of Monday, Xinhua said, quoting Pakistani media reports.
The strike targeted a house and a vehicle in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal areas along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the report said.
The strike was the 16th since the beginning of 2012, Xinhua said. At least 117 people were reported killed in similar strikes earlier in the year.
Last week, at least 14 suspected militants were killed in two separate drone strikes in North Waziristan.
Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its official displeasure with U.S. air raids on its territory. Islamabad closed NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after NATO helicopters attacked a checkpoint in the Mohmand tribal area, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers in November 2011.
The issue of continued U.S. drone attacks has been a major obstacle preventing an agreement on the reopening of the supply routes.
Washington has reduced the intensity of such attacks, but has refused to stop them altogether.
