The Express Tribune
A drone strike in North Waziristan early Friday killed three, Express News reported.
The unmanned aircraft fired two missiles in Miranshah town at a time when many in the country are protesting against the CIA drone campaign.
The timing is further controversial as the strike comes on the eve of Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony where Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will hand the baton to his successor General Raheel Sharif.
Express News correspondent Nasrum Minallah reported that the drone remained in the area for a while after the attack, flying very low.
It could not be ascertained whether the drones targeted a vehicle or a compound.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has held an increasingly anti-drone stance with regular sit-ins being arranged to protest against the strikes.
The November 21 drone strike, which killed six people and injured eight others in the populated area of Hangu, had angered the people in the province further with many political parties, including PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami blocking the Nato supply routes.
Drone damage
The Pakistani government officially condemns drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and this has been a contentious issue between the two countries. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to the US urged President Barack Obama to halt the programme.
Despite their deep unpopularity in Pakistan, the US sees them as a vital tool in the fight against militants in the tribal areas.
The number and identity of casualties is often hard to determine because the tribal areas are off-limits to foreign journalists and aid organisations, but the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates deaths at between 2,500 and 3,700.
Hundreds of civilians have died in the attacks, according to various estimates, prompting outrage in Pakistan and abroad.
A major report last month from rights campaigners Amnesty International said the US may be guilty of war crimes.
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