US drone strikes in Pak

The killing of the al-Qaeda chief in a US raid on May 2 has strained ties between Washington and Islamabad, with suspicion in the US that Pakistan knew where bin Laden was hiding and Pakistan angered by a raid it saw as a violation of sovereignty. The drone strikes also anger many Pakistanis and are a source of friction between the allies. Pakistan officially objects to the attacks although US officials say they are carried out on an understanding with Pakistan.

A drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the North Waziristan region that was heading towards the Afghan border, killing eight militants, the Pakistani officials said.

“At least four drones are still flying over the area,” said one of the officials. The US CIA regularly launches attacks with its pilotless aircraft at militants in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal lands who cross into Afghanistan to battle Western forces there.