Pakistan: US Drone Strikes Kill 23

A pair of US missile strikes hit a vehicle and an alleged insurgent training facility today in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing 23 suspected Islamist militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said. The latest strikes bring this week's count to five, in the latest sign that the US has no intention of abandoning the tactic despite public disapproval in Pakistan and a downturn in US-Pakistan relations. Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution demanding the missile strikes end, but the US has ignored it.

One missile hit a vehicle carrying five men. The other struck a nearby compound—believed to have housed a training camp for extremists—killing 18 people in an area between the North and South Waziristan tribal regions. The strikes occurred within minutes of each other, the Pakistani intelligence officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Since 2008, the US has increased its use of drone-fired missiles to take out al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan. Islamabad officially protests the strikes as violations of Pakistan's sovereignty, but it is widely believed to have secretly provided intelligence for some of them. (Click to read about Friday's drone attack that killed al-Qaeda's likely successor to Osama bin Laden.)