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Suspected US attack kills 6 in Pakistan
By STEPHEN GRAHAM,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, November 20
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A suspected U.S. missile launched from Afghanistan hit a village beyond Pakistan's lawless tribal region Wednesday, killing six alleged militants but sparking angry condemnation from Islamabad, which branded the attack "a grave provocation."
The identities of those killed were still being investigated, but a senior military officer said "the Americans are very confident" that an al-Qaida member identified as Abdullah Azam al-Saudi was among the victims. The officer did not elaborate and spoke on condition of the anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
The attack was the first to hit an area outside the semiautonomous tribal belt that directly borders Afghanistan.
The United States has launched about 20 cross-border missile strikes since August, an unprecedented barrage seen as a sign of its frustration with nuclear-armed Pakistan's unwillingness or inability to attack extremists blamed for rising attacks in Afghanistan.
The attacks have killed many militants, but have inflamed tensions with a critically important U.S. anti-terror ally as it battles its own wave of brutal Islamist violence and tries to fend off economic crisis.
Pakistan leaders have repeatedly called for end to the raids, saying they often kill civilians, undercut support for their war against militancy and represent an unacceptable violation of the nation's sovereignty.
Wednesday's attack destroyed a house in Indi Khel, a village in Pakistan's Bannu district some 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Afghan border. Earlier, two Pakistani intelligence officials said their agents reported that militants from Central Asia were believed to be among the six killed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to news media.
Residents said no militants were among the dead, though declined to discuss the identity of the victims. Adnan Khan Wazir, a Bannu lawmaker, also insisted only civilians had died.
Until Wednesday, all the attacks since August were in North and South Waziristan, two semiautonomous tribal regions where militants largely hold sway. Bannu is still a dangerous place, but falls under the control of the regional government _ making the attack especially sensitive.
"It looks like the Americans are not listening, but this is such a great provocation that it will bring a strong response from the government of Pakistan that will dissuade them," presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said of the strike. He declined to say what the response would be.
A large Islamist political party warned it would block two major supply routes for U.S and NATO forces in Afghanistan that run through Pakistan unless the attacks stopped.
"If these missiles attacks continue, then we will ask the people to create hurdles in the way of supplies for NATO," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami.
The U.S. rarely confirms or denies the strikes, which are believed to be carried out mainly by unmanned CIA aircraft launched from across the border. Last week CIA chief Michael Hayden said pressure on militants in the region had put al-Qaida "off-balance."
President Asif Ali Zardari can do little to force America to stop the attacks, analysts say. Pakistan receives millions in U.S. military and development aid each year and is about to receive an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund to save the economy.
Some analysts have speculated that the government has a secret agreement with Washington that allows the strikes on condition U.S. officials do not admit to them. Zardari and other Pakistani officials strongly deny that.
In a sign of the complexity of the ties between the two countries, even as the missile strikes have picked up, U.S. and NATO military officials have praised what they say is improved day-to-day Pakistani cooperation in squeezing militants along the border.
U.S. military officials said troops in Afghanistan coordinated with Pakistan on Sunday in shelling insurgents inside Pakistan who were launching rockets at foreign troops. Pakistan's official statement on the matter referred only to militant activity in Afghanistan.
American officials have also praised a Pakistani military operation in the tribal region of Bajur that has killed an estimated 1,600 alleged militants in the past three months. Islamabad is also trying to persuade tribes to turn against the militants.
___
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad in Islamabad, Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report.
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