The US killed four people in an airstrike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.

The attack, carried out by unmanned Predator or Reaper attack aircraft, hit a Taliban safe house in the town of Machi Khel near Mir Ali in North Waziristan. Two Hellfire missiles were reported to have been launched in the airstrike.

“A US drone fired two missiles, which hit a compound of a local tribesman, Karim Khan, killing four people and injuring two others,” a senior Pakistani security official told AFP.

No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders were reported killed, and US officials contacted by The Long War Journal would not comment on the target of the strike.

The town of Mir Ali is a known stronghold of al Qaeda leader Abu Kasha al Iraqi, an Iraqi national who is also known as Abu Akash. He has close links to the Taliban and the Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network and Hafiz Gul Bahadar also have influence in the Mir Ali region.

Abu Kasha serves as the key link between al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council, and the Taliban. His responsibilities have expanded to assisting in facilitating al Qaeda's external operations against the West.

North Waziristan has become the focal point of the US air campaign in Pakistan. Since the Aug. 5 strike in South Waziristan that killed Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, 16 of the 20 reported airstrikes have taken place in North Waziristan, while the other four were in South Waziristan.

The US carried out six airstrikes inside Pakistan in December, after conducting just two in October and two more in November.

So far this year, the US has carried out 53 airstrikes inside Pakistan. In all of 2008, 36 strikes were carried out. Since the US ramped up cross-border attacks in August 2008, 16 senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders have been killed.

Today's attack is the first since the Haqqani Network conducted a suicide attack inside a CIA compound at Combat Outpost Chapman in Khost province, Afghanistan. Seven CIA employees, including the base commander, and a US civilian were killed in the attack. The suicide bomber is said to have been invited to the base. The CIA is said to recruit local Afghans and possibly Pakistanis to provide intelligence on al Qaeda and the Taliban on both sides of the border.

US airstrikes in Pakistan in 2009:

• US kills 4 in North Waziristan airstrike
Dec. 31, 2009
• US strike kills 4 terrorists in North Waziristan
Dec. 26, 2009
• US airstrike kills 8 Punjabi Taliban in North Waziristan
Dec. 18, 2009
• Al Qaeda Shadow Army commander killed in US strike [two airstrikes in North Waziristan]
Dec. 17, 2009
• US strike kills 4 al Qaeda, 2 Taliban in South Waziristan
Dec. 10, 2009
• US airstrike kills 3 in North Waziristan
Dec. 8, 2009
• US airstrike kills 4 Taliban in North Waziristan
Nov. 18, 2009
• US kills 4 in North Waziristan airstrike
Nov. 4, 2009
• US airstrike targets al Qaeda in North Waziristan
Oct. 21, 2009
• US kills 4 in strike on Haqqani Network in North Waziristan
Oct. 14, 2009
• US strike kills Haqqani Network and foreign fighters in North Waziristan
Sept. 30, 2009
• US aircraft strike in North and South Waziristan
Sept. 29, 2009
• US airstrike targets Haqqani Network in North Waziristan
Sept. 24, 2009
• Two al Qaeda leaders reported killed in North Waziristan strike
Sept. 14, 2009
• 12 killed in second US strike in North Waziristan
Sept. 8, 2009
• Senior al Qaeda leaders reported killed in North Waziristan strike
Sept. 7, 2009
• US strikes Taliban compound in South Waziristan, 8 killed
Aug. 27, 2009
• US Predators target the Haqqanis in North Waziristan
Aug. 20, 2009
• US kills 14 in strike on Taliban training camp in South Waziristan
Aug. 11, 2009
• Baitullah Mehsud's wife killed in Predator attack
Aug. 5, 2009
• US Predator strikes in North Waziristan, kills 5
July 17, 2009
• US strikes Taliban communications center in South Waziristan
July 10, 2009
• US kills 25 Taliban in second Predator strike in South Waziristan
July 8, 2009
• US Predator strike on Taliban camp kills 8 in South Waziristan
July 8, 2009
• US Predator strike kills 14 Taliban in South Waziristan
July 7, 2009
• 13 Taliban fighters killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan
July 3, 2009
• Scores of Taliban killed in second US strike in South Waziristan
June 23, 2009
• Six killed in US Predator attack in South Waziristan
June 23, 2009
• US strikes target Mullah Nazir in South Waziristan
June 18, 2009
• US kills 5 in South Waziristan strike
June 14, 2009
• US strikes Taliban, al Qaeda in North Waziristan
May 16, 2009
• US strikes again in South Waziristan
May 12, 2009
• US strike targets Baitullah Mehsud territory in South Waziristan
May 9, 2009
• US strike kills 10 Taliban in South Waziristan
April 29, 2009
• US airstrike targets Taliban training camp in South Waziristan
April 19, 2009
• US Predator kills four in South Waziristan strike
April 8, 2009
• US strikes Haqqani Network in North Waziristan
April 4, 2009
• US launches first strike in Arakzai tribal agency
April 1, 2009
• Latest US strike targets al Qaeda safe house in North Waziristan
March 26, 2009
• US airstrike kills 8 in Baitullah Mehsud's hometown
March 25, 2009
• US launches second strike outside of Pakistan's tribal areas
March 15, 2009
• US missile strike in Kurram agency kills 14
March 12, 2009
• US airstrike kills 8 in South Waziristan
March 1, 2009
• US airstrike in Pakistan's Kurram tribal agency kills 30
Feb. 16, 2009
• US Predator strike in South Waziristan kills 25
Feb. 14, 2009
• US strikes al Qaeda in North and South Waziristan
Jan. 23, 2009
• US hits South Waziristan in second strike
Jan. 2, 2009
• US kills 4 al Qaeda operatives in South Waziristan strike
Jan. 1, 2009

For a summary of US strikes inside Pakistan in 2008, see "US strikes in 2 villages in South Waziristan".