First US drone strike this year kills 6 militants in Pakistan

At least six militants were killed today in US' first drone strike in Pakistan this year and a high value target may be among the fatalities in the attack in the country's restive tribal region.
The US drone fired two missiles at a house in Ghulam Khan Tehsil in North Waziristan, killing four Uzbek militants and two Taliban militants, Geo News reported.
Dawn News quoted the sources as saying that a high value target may be among the fatalities.
The last drone attack occurred in Pakistan in the last week of December, 2013, killing three insurgents.
The drone strikes had been temporarily halted since then to provide the Pakistani government a chance to have talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) aimed at ending their seven-year insurgency.

The Pakistan government has criticised drone strikes as a violation of sovereignty and counter-productive to anti-terror efforts.

The strike came as Pakistani Taliban confirmed that Uzbek militants took part in the deadly assault on Karachi's international airport that killed at least 39 people.
Ten Uzbek militants entered the Jinnah International Airport on Sunday night from different directions in two groups, resulting in a bloody standoff lasting for about 13 hours.
A day after the attempted airport siege, Taliban militants attacked a training camp of the Airport Security Force outside Karachi international airport, but fled after Pakistani forces repulsed the assault.

Pressure has been mounting on Pakistan to react after the deadly Karachi airport attack.
At least 25 militants were killed yesterday when Pakistani fighter jets pounded targets in the country's northwestern tribal region. The early morning air strikes were launched at Taliban hideouts in Tirah valley of Khyber tribal agency.
A military official said that nine hideouts of terrorists were destroyed near the Pak-Aghan border.
The US today warned that Pakistan faces a "serious" threat from the Taliban and offered its assistance to fight against terrorism.
"There is no doubt that the threat of violent extremism in Pakistan, including the TTP, is serious," a State Department Spokesperson told PTI.

The people of Pakistan have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists, the official said, adding that Pakistan continues to lose many police, soldiers and civilians.