US drone strike kills two militants in Pakistan

Pakistani officials have announced the death of a key militant commander in an airstrike allegedly carried out by a US drone.

Three intelligence officials said on Tuesday that Abu Bakr, a commander of the Haqqani militant Network, was killed earlier in the morning when his house in northwestern Pakistan was targeted by missiles.

They said Abu Bakr’s house was located in Dewal, a village some five kilometers south of the city of Thal, where a US drone had been seen hovering. They said the militant commander was inside the house as two missiles hit the property.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said an aide to the militant commander was also killed in the strike.

Residents said three more people, including a boy, were injured in the attack.

Local media said Abu Bakr, known by his original name Omar, was from Afghanistan’s Khost province and had been living in the tribal regions of Pakistan over the past years. He then moved to Dewal after the Pakistani army launched a massive crackdown to hunt key militant leaders in the restive Waziristan region.

There was no official confirmation from Washington neither from US military officials based in the region. Some reports said the drone strike, if confirmed, could be related to a recent attack in the diplomatic region of the Afghan capital, Kabul, which killed some 150 people. The Afghan government has blamed the Haqqani network in Pakistan for the high-profile attack. However, in a later audio message issued by senior leaders, the group denied any involvement.

Islamabad has repeatedly criticized Washington for carrying out uncoordinated airstrikes in its territory, saying they violate Pakistan's sovereignty.

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