By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan

A suspected U.S. drone strike killed two Pakistani Taliban fighters in North Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday afternoon, the militant group announced.

A Pakistani army official refused to comment on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claim, saying he could not confirm or deny it.

In a statement, the TTP -- a consortium of several Pakistani Taliban groups -- said the American drone struck a compound in North Waziristan at around 12 p.m. (0700 GMT), killing two, including Abdullah Kashmiri, a little-known commander of the group.

Kashmiri was an electronics expert, the group added.

This was the third drone strike in Pakistan since Donald Trump became the U.S. president in January.

On April 26, at least 10 suspected TTP militants were killed in a drone strike -- the first since Trump took office -- on the outskirts of Datta Khel town, which borders neighboring Afghanistan.

Another drone strike in May 2016 killed former Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansur in southwestern Balochistan province.

More than 3,450 people have been killed in 418 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, local media reports said.

According to international think tanks and human rights groups -- including Amnesty International and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism -- several unarmed civilians have also been killed in such U.S. drone attacks.