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Says civilians among 22 killed in first drone attacks of Obama era

Hasbunallah Khan / AP Pakistani tribesmen stand beside coffins of the victims of a suspected U.S. missile strike in Zharki village on Saturday

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan has urged Barack Obama to halt U.S. missile strikes on al-Qaida strongholds near the Afghan border, saying civilians have been killed in attacks since the new American president's inauguration.

Pakistani security officials said eight suspected foreign militants, including an Egyptian al-Qaida operative, were among 22 people killed in Friday's twin strikes in the Waziristan region.

But the Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the attacks by unmanned aircraft also killed an unspecified number of civilians and that it had informed U.S. officials of its "great concern."

"With the advent of the new U.S. administration, it is Pakistan's sincere hope that the United States will review its policy and adopt a more holistic and integrated approach toward dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism," the ministry said in a statement.

The United States does not directly acknowledge firing the missiles, which are believed to be mostly fired from drones operated by the CIA and launched from neighboring Afghanistan.

Foreign policy priority
Obama has not commented on the missile strikes.

However, he has made the war in Afghanistan and the intertwined al-Qaida fight in Pakistan a foreign policy priority. Few observers expect him to ditch a tactic that U.S. officials say has killed a string of militant leaders behind the insurgency in Afghanistan — and who had perhaps been plotting terrorist attacks in the West.

Pakistani leaders complain that the more than 30 missile strikes since August have fanned anti-American sentiment and undermined the government's own efforts to counter Islamic militants.

But their protests have had few practical consequences, fueling speculation that Islamabad's cash-strapped, pro-U.S. government has given tacit approval in return for political and financial support from Washington.

Pakistan's government has little control over the border region, which is considered a likely hiding place for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders.

Funerals held
Three intelligence officials told The Associated Press that funerals were held Saturday for nine Pakistanis killed a day earlier in Zharki, a village in North Waziristan.

The officials, citing reports from field agents and residents, said Taliban fighters had removed the bodies of five suspected foreign militants who also died in the first missile strike. Initial reports put the death toll from that attack at 10.

A senior security official in the capital, Islamabad, identified one of the slain men as Mustafa al-Misri, a suspected al-Qaida operative. He said it was unclear if the man was a significant figure.

The second strike hit a house in South Waziristan. Residents and security officials say eight people died in the village of Gangi Khel.

The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.