[Al Arabiya Latest] A U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles in Pakistan's South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, killing at least 15 militants on Sunday, Pakistani security officials said."Now the death toll is 20. It could rise further. People are still busy removing rubble," a senior security official told Reuters. Most of the casualties were foreign fighters, he added.
The pilotless drone strikes are a source of friction between the United States and Pakistan, which says they are a violation of its sovereignty. U.S. officials say the missile strikes are carried out under an agreement with Islamabad that allows Pakistani leaders to decry the attacks in public. Islamabad denies this.
Washington says they are an effective weapon in tribal areas in northwest Pakistan along the Afghan border seen as a global hub for militants, including senior al-Qaeda and Taliban figures.
Sunday's attack was the tenth missile strike by an unmanned U.S. spy plane so far this year, as the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama puts Pakistan at the heart of its fight against al-Qaeda and Islamist extremists.
The latest attack also brought to 41 the number of militants reported to have been killed in three attacks since Thursday.