MIRAMSHAH, Sept 21 A US drone on Tuesday fired three missiles at a compound in the tribal belt near the Afghan border, killing six militants, officials said.

“At least six militants were killed and five others were wounded when a US drone fired three missiles at a militant compound,” a senior security official said.

The attack took place in Azam Warsak village, some 25km west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal district, the official said.

An intelligence official and a South Waziristan administration official confirmed the attack and death toll by phone in Miramshah, the headquarters of the neighbouring North Waziristan Agency.

Another security official in Peshawar also confirmed that the unmanned US aircraft killed at least six militants.

Some 15 US drone attacks have taken place in just 18 days in North Waziristan.

US missile strikes have killed about 100 militants since Sept 3 in the rugged tribal belt, which Washington has branded a global headquarters of Al Qaeda and the most dangerous spot on Earth.

Over 1,100 people have been killed in more than 130 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants. However, the attacks fuel anti-American sentiment in the country.—AFP