US strikes in Pakistan follow aid cut, kill 38

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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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