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| US drone strike kills two as tensions mount over programme in Pakistan | US drone strike kills two as tensions mount over programme in Pakistan |
| (8 days later) | |
| US missiles killed two suspected militants in north-west Pakistan on Saturday, as Washington pushed on with its controversial drone policy despite a widening rift with Islamabad. | US missiles killed two suspected militants in north-west Pakistan on Saturday, as Washington pushed on with its controversial drone policy despite a widening rift with Islamabad. |
| Pakistani intelligence officials said the attack took place in Dogh village near Wana, the main town in the strife-torn southern Waziristan region. | Pakistani intelligence officials said the attack took place in Dogh village near Wana, the main town in the strife-torn southern Waziristan region. |
| It represents the fifth such strike in the country by American drones in the last two weeks and threatens to worsen already fraught relations between the two countries. | It represents the fifth such strike in the country by American drones in the last two weeks and threatens to worsen already fraught relations between the two countries. |
| Authorities in Pakistan told the Associated Press that the two militants were targeted after emerging from a suspected hideout on Saturday. | Authorities in Pakistan told the Associated Press that the two militants were targeted after emerging from a suspected hideout on Saturday. |
| The US views the use of drones as a key element in its artillery against al-Qaida and affiliated militants in the country. | The US views the use of drones as a key element in its artillery against al-Qaida and affiliated militants in the country. |
| Under a strategic review conducted earlier this year, the Pentagon announced it will increase the number of unmanned armed crafts in its arsenal by almost a third. | Under a strategic review conducted earlier this year, the Pentagon announced it will increase the number of unmanned armed crafts in its arsenal by almost a third. |
| But the use of drones is controversial, with the Pakistani public resenting their use due to the high number of non-military casualties. | But the use of drones is controversial, with the Pakistani public resenting their use due to the high number of non-military casualties. |
| Figures from the London-based Bureau of Investigative journalism show that CIA drones struck Pakistan 75 times in 2011, causing up to 655 fatalities. | Figures from the London-based Bureau of Investigative journalism show that CIA drones struck Pakistan 75 times in 2011, causing up to 655 fatalities. |
| The majority of those killed were alleged militants, but as many as 126 civilians may also have lost their lives, the bureau's figures suggest. | The majority of those killed were alleged militants, but as many as 126 civilians may also have lost their lives, the bureau's figures suggest. |
| Islamabad has demanded for a halt in the US programme of drone attacks and their continued use has further strained relations between the two countries. | Islamabad has demanded for a halt in the US programme of drone attacks and their continued use has further strained relations between the two countries. |
| Last year, Pakistan closed a key supply route into Afghanistan in retaliation to an American airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. | Last year, Pakistan closed a key supply route into Afghanistan in retaliation to an American airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. |
| US defence secretary Leon Panetta last week described diplomatic conditions between Washington and Islamabad as "up and down", noting "this is one of the most complicated relationships we have had". | US defence secretary Leon Panetta last week described diplomatic conditions between Washington and Islamabad as "up and down", noting "this is one of the most complicated relationships we have had". |
| Negotiations have been further complicated by US criticism of Pakistan's jailing of a doctor who helped track down Osama bin Laden through a covert CIA scheme involving a fake vaccination programme. | Negotiations have been further complicated by US criticism of Pakistan's jailing of a doctor who helped track down Osama bin Laden through a covert CIA scheme involving a fake vaccination programme. |
| Panetta described the 33-year jail sentence handed down as "difficult to understand and so disturbing". | Panetta described the 33-year jail sentence handed down as "difficult to understand and so disturbing". |
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