Islamabad: At least 25 people have been killed in a US drone attack which blasted a compound with missiles yesterday in Pakistan's tribal area of North Waziristan, security sources said.
Four missiles destroyed the compound and the sources said 25 bodies were recovered from the debris and the toll could rise. They said the dead included some foreign militants.
The strike in Mir Ali, a town about 35km east of the region's main town of Miranshah, came on the heels of a visit to Pakistan by US top military official Admiral Mike Mullen.
Mullen's lengthy talks with Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani were held against a backdrop of strains in bilateral ties including military-to-military relationships.
During the visit Mullen openly accused Pakistan's ISI of having links with the Haqqani network which is allegedly involved in attacks on US and coalition troops in Afghanistan from its North Waziristan base.
A military statement issued after the meeting said they underscored "the centrality of reciprocal respect towards each other's sovereignty, upholding the universal principle of value of human life and above all the long sought-after goal of addressing trust deficit between the institutions as well as people on both sides."
No direct reference
The statement also spoke about Kayani rejecting "negative propaganda of Pakistan not doing enough and the Pakistan Army's lack of clarify on the way forward."
But it contained no direct reference to the accusation against ISI or Pakistan's demand for an halt to the drone strikes.
After the release and exit from Pakistan of double murder-accused CIA operative Raymond Davis on March 16, US drones struck a tribal council in North Waziristan the next day, killing 40 people.
Pakistan strongly protested and its civilian and military leaders condemned the attack, calling the loss of civilian lives unacceptable. Another missile strike by drones earlier this month killed seven suspected militants in South Waziristan.
Raids to continue
Reports in local media said Mullen had told Kayani during their meeting that drone raids would continue until Pakistan eliminated the Haqqani network from its tribal region.
Officials privy to the discussions said Kayani refused to give any assurance or timeline to the top American military commander on carrying out an all-out assault in North Waziristan, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.
Resentment has been on the rise in Pakistan over the drone attacks described as blatant violations of the country's sovereignty. Political activists and others have planned a two-day sit-in outside Peshawar to block Nato trucks carrying supplies for troops in Afghanistan.
The government says drone strikes were counter-productive as militants exploited civilian casualties to increase their support among the tribes and that it was striving through diplomatic channels to resolve the issue.
