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Death Toll Rises in Missile Attack in Pakistan


The death toll from two suspected U.S. missile strikes along the Afghan border in Pakistan is rising.

Pakistani officials say Saturday at least 21 people were killed in the attacks Friday in the country's northwestern tribal regions.

The officials say a suspected U.S. drone (unmanned aircraft) fired three missiles into a house in a village, Zharki, outside Mir Ali, in North Waziristan province.

Local officials say five of those killed were foreign militants. The area is considered a hub for al-Qaida and Taliban activity.

Hours later, a second missile strike hit neighboring South Waziristan.

There have been about 30 similar missile attacks in Pakistan since the middle of last year despite public objections by the Pakistani government. These are the first such strikes since U.S. President Barack Obama took office on Tuesday. The Bush administration refused to confirm or deny responsibility for such strikes.

In an interview with CNN television on Friday, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said public opinion in Pakistan was very much against the missile strikes, but that he expected nothing different from the new U.S. president.

He also said Pakistan should have received more U.S. funding for helping in the war on terror, saying the $10 billion it received from the U.S. was much less than the U.S. has spent in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Also Friday, the Pakistani foreign ministry welcomed Mr. Obama's appointment Thursday of a new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

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