Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone (pilotless aircraft)
has fired missiles into a tribal region in the country's northwest,
killing at least five people.
Security officials and witnesses
say the missiles struck a religious school Thursday in a North
Waziristan village near the Afghan border, a stronghold of al-Qaida and
Taliban militants.
There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from U.S. officials.
Suspected
U.S. drone aircraft have launched about 12 missile strikes against
targets in North and South Waziristan in the past two months.
Pakistani leaders have denounced the attacks, calling them a violation
of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Pakistan's parliament Wednesday
called for an urgent review of the nation's security strategy, with an
emphasis on dialogue aimed at reducing violence.
In a rare joint
session held behind closed doors, both houses of parliament late
Wednesday passed a resolution calling for dialogue with all parties
willing to abide by the rule of law. That language is seen as an
indirect reference to Taliban militants.
The resolution also
called for "an independent foreign policy," a clause that points to
some lawmakers' discomfort with the level of influence that Washington
has on Islamabad's approach to fighting terrorism.
The
Pakistani government is under pressure from Afghanistan and the United
States to take on militants based along the Afghan border.
Some
Pakistani lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, have
vocally advocated dialogue with the militants to end the unrest and
help stabilize the country.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
