No assent given to US drone attacks: Pakistan
[A tribesman watching a US drone strike in Pakistan. Islamabad says the US has not been given assent to carry out drone attacks on Pakistani soil. ] Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the US drone attacks in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan are carried out without the consent of Islamabad. Speaking to reporters outside the Lahore High Court non Friday, Malik said the controversial issue of US drone attacks was to be raised with Washington during bilateral talks. The remarks come as Washington claims the raids target militants in Pakistan. However, hundreds of civilians have fallen victim to such US drone attacks since 2008. The Pakistani government routinely protests against the US strikes, saying they violate its sovereignty and complicate its efforts against terrorism by fuelling anti-Americanism. AWIP: 11th Drone Strike of 2010: Latest US Attack Kills Six in North Waziristan: AFP: 11 killed in US missile strikes in NW Pakistan: officials. AntiWar: US Drone Fired Missile Into a Crowd of "Suspects," Killing 13 Afghans. TANSW: Pakistan Taliban deny US drone strike killed top leader. This comes on top of this Nobel Peace Prize winner Kills at Least 15 in North Waziristan and this Civilians Slain as Latest US Drone Strike on North Waziristan, Kills Five and this US Drones Kill 12 in North Waziristan: Third TERROR Strike in 24 Hours in Tribal Area and this U.S. Drones Kill 15 People Near Border in Pakistan and summing up all of 2009, this: 44 US drone hits in Pakistan killed 700 civilians in 2009.