A suspected U.S. drone strike has killed at least five militants in a northwest Pakistan tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.

Security officials say two missiles were fired by a drone on a compound in the village of Spalga in North Waziristan tribal region.

Last week, a missile strike in the same area left nine people dead including several militants.

Pakistan's northwest border region is home to both Pakistani and Afghan Taliban fighters.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Barack Obama publicly acknowledged for the first time that the United States uses drone strikes against militants in Pakistan.

Mr. Obama defended the operations, which have greatly increased during his administration, saying they are used for “very precise, precision strikes” in the fight against al-Qaida.

Pakistan rejects the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty.

The Washington-based New America Foundation says drone strikes in Pakistan have killed between 1,700 and 2,700 people in the past eight years.