A suspected United States drone strike in the Afghan border killed seven insurgents, while a Pakistani strike killed 31 militants. The strikes happened in the Afghan border last Sunday.
"A US drone fired two missiles which hit a compound and a vehicle in Alwara Mandi of North Waziristan, killing six terrorists," a senior security official shared with AFP news agency.
The strikes were a retaliation to a militant attack in December 2014, which left 132 students dead at a local school in Peshawar.
According to reports, the Pakistani government had to improve their operations against Taliban. The attack targeted a powerful militant leader, Hafiz Gul Bahadur's, compound. The target area is known to be a long time haven for insurgents. Local troops were targeting areas that are believed to be homes to militants for the past six months.
Among those who were killed were appointed suicide bombers. The Tirrah Valley in the Khyber region where the strike occurred houses a suicide bomber training center and has also served as militant hideout, the army shared in a statement.
The suspected U.S. drone strikes, according to Pakistani intelligence officers, hit Datta Khel in North Waziristan. The drones left four wounded militants and seven dead. The compound was said to be a hideout for several Taliban militants who are under commander Bahadur.
The U.S. government has launched drone strikes that targeted militant hubs in Northwest Pakistan since 2004. The drones were operated by the CIA under their Special Activities Division. The media has referred to it as the "drone war."
Although there are several devastating militant attacks in the said region, not everyone agrees with the drone strikes as some citizens feel that they have lost their country's sovereignty due to the attacks.
"The use of drones is not only a continual violation of our territorial integrity, but also detrimental to our resolve and efforts at eliminating terrorism from our country," Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said.
Sharif had asked the US government to stop the drone attacks several times. The act, according to Sharif, is against international laws. U.S. President Obama does not agree with Sharif and recently said that the drone attack has been effective and precise.
