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At least four people have been killed and several more injured in a suspected US drone attack on a house in Pakistan's northwest.
Pakistani intelligence officials said the missile strike "targeted a hideout of anti-government fighters" in the Babar Raghazi area of North Waziristan on Saturday.
But local security officials told Al Jazeera that those killed in the attack were all civilians.
Unmanned drones are often the weapon of choice for the United States as it targets the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in remote, rugged areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. But the US military has rarely confirmed the attacks.
The use of so-called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which allow the military to operate in highly dangerous areas, is expected to grow in the coming years with the US defense department expected to buy 700 drones next year alone.
But the long-distance, remote-controlled warfare that inflicts heavy civilian casualties has sparked public anger in Pakistan.
The US government has called on Islamabad to step up its efforts against Taliban- and al-Qaeda-linked fighters who cross over into Afghanistan.
The Pakistani army recently completed an offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, which borders North Waziristan.
But Pakistani authorities say the military may soon pursue similar operations in other parts of the lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border.
PHOTO CAPTION
A US 'Predator' drone flies near Kandahar in January 2009.
Al-Jazeera
