Eight killed, seven wounded ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's army chief strongly condemned a US drone attack that killed more than three dozen people Thursday, saying the missiles struck a peaceful meeting of tribal elders near the Afghan border. The accusation by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani adds tension to a relationship that was already strained by the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis by a CIA contractor who was freed Wednesday following a contentious deal to pay millions in “blood money” to the men's families. “It is highly regrettable that a jirga (meeting) of peaceful citizens including elders of the area was carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life,” said Kayani in a written statement. “In complete violation of human rights, such acts of violence take us away from our objective of elimination of terrorism.” Kayani's condemnation conflicted with statements provided by Pakistani intelligence officials throughout the day saying the 38 people killed and seven wounded in the attack were militants meeting to discuss sending additional fighters into Afghanistan. The officials said the militants were allied with Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a powerful Pakistani Taliban leader in the area, and even gave the name of a senior militant, Sharabat Khan, who was reportedly killed in the attack. The compound was targeted by two pairs of missiles fired three minutes apart. It was located in the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region — the main sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters along the Afghan border, said the intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Most reporters are barred from visiting the tribal region, so it is difficult to verify who is killed in attacks. The US has repeatedly pressed Kayani to launch an offensive against militants in North Waziristan, but he has refused, saying his soldiers are stretched too thin by operations in other parts of the tribal region. Many officials suspect privately, however, that Pakistan doesn't want to confront militants with whom it has historical ties and who could be useful allies in Afghanistan. The US has responded by relying more heavily on drone attacks to kill militants in North Waziristan. The strikes are unpopular in Pakistan because many believe they violate the country's sovereignty and kill innocent civilians.Pakistani politicians often rail against the attacks, but its most powerful intelligence agency, controlled by the army, is widely believed to cooperate with some of them.
