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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Three suspected U.S. missile
strikes in northwestern Pakistan in less than 12 hours killed at
least 38 alleged militants, an unusually heavy barrage at a time
when relations between the two countries are badly strained,
Pakistani intelligence officials said Tuesday.
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The strikes follow the Obama administration’s announcement that it
is suspending more than one-third of U.S. military aid to Pakistan
until disagreements are worked out. The attacks indicate the White
House has no intention of stopping the unmanned drone program even
though the attacks have increasingly caused tension with
Pakistan.
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In the latest strike, suspected U.S. missiles hit a house in
Dremala village in the South Waziristan tribal area early Tuesday,
killing at least eight alleged militants, said two Pakistani
intelligence officials. Two other Pakistani intelligence officials
put the death toll from the strike at 13. The village is located
close to the border with North Waziristan.
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Before dawn Tuesday, suspected U.S. missiles hit a house in Shawal
area of North Waziristan, killing 10 alleged militants, said
Pakistani intelligence officials.
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Late Monday, suspected U.S. missiles hit a house in Gorvak village
in North Waziristan, killing at least 20 alleged militants, said
two Pakistani intelligence officials. Two other Pakistani
intelligence officials put the death toll at 23. The village is
located very close to the Afghan border and is often used as a
route for militants to cross into Afghanistan.
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The Pakistani intelligence officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the
media.
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The areas where the strikes occurred are very dangerous, so it is
difficult to independently confirm the intelligence officials’
accounts.
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Pakistan’s reluctance to target Afghan militants based in North
Waziristan who stage cross-border attacks against NATO troops in
Afghanistan has been one of the main sources of tension with the
U.S.
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Pakistan says its troops are stretched too thin by operations in
other parts of the country, but many analysts believe the
government is hesitant to cross militants with whom it has
historical ties and who could be useful allies in Afghanistan after
foreign forces withdraw.
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In response, the Obama administration has dramatically increased
drone strikes in North Waziristan over the past couple of years and
has also hit areas in South Waziristan. The U.S. refuses to
publicly acknowledge the covert CIA drone program in Pakistan, but
officials have said privately that the strikes have killed senior
Taliban and al-Qaida officials.
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Pakistan is widely believed to have supported the strikes in the
past, even though officials often criticize them publicly as a
violation of the country’s sovereignty. But that support has become
less certain in recent months, especially following the covert U.S.
raid that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden on May 2 in a
Pakistani garrison town not far from Islamabad.
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The raid humiliated the Pakistani military, which was not told
about it beforehand. U.S. officials said they kept Pakistan in the
dark because they were worried that someone would tip off bin
Laden.
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The relationship between the two countries has spiraled down since
then, and President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, William Daley,
said Sunday that the U.S. was suspending more than one-third – or
$800 million – of its military aid to Pakistan until the two
countries can patch up their relationship.
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Pakistan’s defense minister, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, said in an
interview with Pakistani TV Express 24/7 that Pakistan could
withdraw its forces from the border regions along Afghanistan due
to the cut off in funds.
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But that was contradicted by the army, which holds far more power
than the civilian-run defense ministry and which has downplayed the
aid suspension.
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After a meeting of top commanders Tuesday, the army issued a
statement saying it was determined to “fight the menace of
terrorism in our own national interest using our own
resources.”
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Dawar reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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