Deadly US Drone Attack Worsens Pakistan Tension

American strike kills at least 20 in North Waziristan
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2011 2:52 PM CDT
Deadly US Drone Attack Worsens Pakistan Tension
Pakistani protesters burn a representation of the US flag to condemn drone attacks in Pakistani territory on Friday.   (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

Pakistan has been pressing the US to ease off on its drone attacks, and the Pentagon made clear today it has no intention of doing so. A strike on an al-Qaeda haven in North Waziristan killed about two dozen people, reports the BBC, including at least five women and four children in a nearby house. Those kinds of civilian casualties have infuriated Pakistan.

The US struck just a day after Adm. Mike Mullen met with Pakistan's military chief to demand that Islamabad do more to crack down on militants in the region, notes the New York Times. Pakistan, meanwhile, is allowing a major anti-NATO protest to take place in Peshawar tomorrow. (More drone strike stories.)

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