The US has resumed its drones programme in Pakistan, with two strikes on militant strongholds in the North Waziristan tribal region overnight.
Officials say at least three militants were killed with reports of 16 dead.
It come days after militants attacked Karachi international airport, killing 39 people, including 10 attackers.
Washington agreed to suspend its drones programme in December to allow Islamabad to pursue peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
But pressure has been mounting on the Pakistani authorities to launch a ground offensive on the region amid a breakdown in peace talks.
Double hit
The two drone strikes took place within hours of each other, striking a compound in a village near Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.
After an initial strike at 20:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday evening, the same area was hit in the early hours of Thursday morning.
"Three US drones fired six missiles on militants who had gathered to dig the debris of a compound," a security official told the AFP news agency, referring to the compound destroyed in the earlier drone strike.
Pakistan's Geo News reports that as many as 16 people were killed in the two attacks.
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