U.S. drone strike kills 10 in northwest Pakistan

A U.S. drone strike on suspected Islamist militants in northwest Pakistan killed 10 people on Thursday, Pakistani intelligence officials said, an attack likely to raise tensions in a standoff with Washington over NATO supply routes to Afghanistan.    

The pilotless drone aircraft attacked a compound in a village in North Waziristan, a day after a similar attack killed four suspected militants in the same region.    
"The drone fired two missiles at the compound. We believe it was being used by militants," one of the Pakistani officials said.    

The United States has been urging Pakistan to mount an offensive in North Waziristan to pursue members of the Haqqani militant network, one of Washington's most feared foes in neighbouring Afghanistan.       

Pakistan has spelt out in no uncertain terms that the drone attacks inside its territory must stop, but Washington is not listening, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told Reuters in an interview in April.    

Analysts say the CIA could not kill high-value al Qaeda or Taliban militants without cooperation from Pakistani authorities, unless intelligence from informants on the ground used in drone strikes has improved dramatically.

REUTERS