At least five people have been killed after a US drone strike at a house in northwest Pakistan, according to Pakistani officials. The attack happened at about midnight on Tuesday near the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, two intelligence agency officials told Reuters. "We have reports of five dead including foreign militants," one of the officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday. In the past month, US forces have carried out seven missile strikes by pilotless drones and a commando raid on the Pakistani side of the border. Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistani military said it would not allow any incursions by the US-led NATO troops into its tribal region near the Afghan border.
Pakistan has angrily protested the missile strikes and cross-border commando raids in recent weeks, which have killed many innocent civilians, including women and children. Pakistan's new leadership has unequivocally told the United States that they will not tolerate violations of their air and ground space. Tension has risen palpably in the region since the recent confrontations between US and Pakistani forces, but cooler heads have prevailed so far.