A drone strike in Pakistan killed 18 suspected militants, as the U.S. pushes ahead with the controversial drone program despite Pakistani demands to stop. Click below to read the rest of the story.
The strike was the seventh in less than two weeks and highlights the importance that Washington places on the drone program as a way to combat al-Qaida and Taliban fighters who use Pakistan as a base for attacks against American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
In the most recent attack, three Pakistani intelligence officials say four missiles were fired at a suspected militant hideout in a village near the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan early Monday morning.
North Waziristan is one of the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan that has become a hub of militant activity.
The attack followed closely on the heels of another drone strike Sunday that killed 10 suspected militants. Two Pakistani intelligence officials say in that attack, four missiles were fired at targets in the village of Mana Raghzai in South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan.
At the time of the attack, suspected militants were gathered to offer condolences to the brother of a militant commander killed during another drone strike Saturday.
The brother was one of those who died in the Sunday morning strike.
All the Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The American drone campaign, which has accelerated under President Barack Obama, has become a source of deep frustration and tension between the U.S. and Pakistan.
