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| 'Seven killed' in Pakistan strike | 'Seven killed' in Pakistan strike |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A suspected pilotless American drone has fired two missiles in a border area of Pakistan, killing seven people, Pakistani officials have said. | |
| Reports say the missile destroyed a house in Waziristan. The identity of those killed is not known. | Reports say the missile destroyed a house in Waziristan. The identity of those killed is not known. |
| US-operated pilotless drones have launched more than 20 missile attacks in Pakistani tribal areas since August. | US-operated pilotless drones have launched more than 20 missile attacks in Pakistani tribal areas since August. |
| The Pakistani government is under huge public pressure to defend its territory against such attacks. | The Pakistani government is under huge public pressure to defend its territory against such attacks. |
| Reports quoted unnamed officials as saying that the two missiles struck two villages in South Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan. | |
| Yar Mohammed, a villager, told the Associated Press that a "fort-like" house was destroyed in the attack and that the local Taleban had pulled out bodies from the area. | |
| A resident of one of the villages told Reuters by telephone that local tribespeople had "opened fire on the drones after the attacks". | |
| A security official told AFP news agency that it was not clear whether the missile attacks had targeted any senior al-Qaeda or Taleban members. | |
| Violation | |
| US drone attacks are believed to have been largely on target, hitting Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the north-western Waziristan tribal region. | |
| There have been few civilian casualties, officials say. | |
| But Pakistani media and opposition parties view these attacks as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. | |
| Last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government was considering "a number of options" to counter attacks by US drones inside its territory. | |
| His statement came after Pakistan's air force chief said his force was equipped to tackle the drones militarily. | |
| The opposition has been pressing the government either to counter US strikes militarily, or to at least raise the issue at the United Nations. | |
| The Pakistani government says these attacks are counter-productive as they help offset the negative popularity the Islamist militants have gained in areas under their control. | |
| However, it has been reluctant to move either diplomatically or militarily to stop these strikes. | |
| This has fuelled speculation that the attacks may be part of a secret pact between Pakistan and the US. |