US drone strike kills 6 in Pakistan
Another deadly US drone attack has killed at least six people and injured several others in the troubled northwestern Pakistan, officials say. The pilot-less aircraft fired two missiles in the northwestern tribal areas in North Waziristan. A local administration official confirmed the attack and said the death toll is expected to rise. The figure shows an increase in US drone attacks over the past few months. The attacks were initiated under former US President George W. Bush and have escalated under President Barack Obama. Washington claims its airstrikes target militant hideouts though most of the attacks have killed civilians. Since August 2008, such strikes have killed nearly a thousand people in tribal areas. The Long War Journal, a US website tracking the strikes also insisted in January that the assaults have killed mostly civilians and have failed to target top militant leaders. Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the strikes as violations of Pakistan's sovereignty. The issue of civilian casualties has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington with the Pakistani government objecting to the attacks. A United Nations report says the US-operated drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law. AWIP: [06/21/10:] Suspected U.S. missile strike kills 13 people in Pakistan. + [06/05/10:] US to go ahead with "essential" drone attacks in Pakistan despite UN call to stop.