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| Drone Strike Reported Outside Pakistan’s Tribal Region | Drone Strike Reported Outside Pakistan’s Tribal Region |
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| PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Missiles believed to have been fired by an American drone struck an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, the first strike of its kind outside the country’s volatile tribal regions. The attack killed six people, including several militant commanders, and wounded five, according to a senior Pakistani security official. | |
| The attack came as Pakistani officials and politicians from across the political spectrum have intensified their criticism of the American drone attacks, particularly after a strike killed Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, on Nov. 1. | |
| In the latest attack, the drone fired missiles into the seminary at around 4:30 a.m. in the Hangu district near the border with Afghanistan, Iftikhar Ahmad, a local police officer, said in a telephone interview. | |
| “The bodies have been mutilated and burned beyond recognition,” he said. “We are investigating the matter.” | “The bodies have been mutilated and burned beyond recognition,” he said. “We are investigating the matter.” |
| A senior government official in Peshawar said the seminary belonged to Qari Noor Mohammad, who was affiliated with the militant Haqqani network. | A senior government official in Peshawar said the seminary belonged to Qari Noor Mohammad, who was affiliated with the militant Haqqani network. |
| “The seminary had links with the Haqqani network,” the official said. | |
| The Haqqani network, which operates on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, is believed to be one of the most lethal elements of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, unidentified gunmen killed Nasiruddin Haqqani, a son of the group’s founder, the Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, in a suburb of Islamabad. | |
| Another security official said that four of those killed were Afghan militants belonging to the Haqqani network. The two others killed in the strike were students at the seminary, which was in a small Afghan refugee camp in Tandora. | Another security official said that four of those killed were Afghan militants belonging to the Haqqani network. The two others killed in the strike were students at the seminary, which was in a small Afghan refugee camp in Tandora. |
| Local officials said that drones had been flying over the area since Monday. | Local officials said that drones had been flying over the area since Monday. |
| “Four Afghan militant commanders were killed in the attack,” the security official said, requesting that he not be identified because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. | |
| Among those killed was Ahmad Jan, a senior Haqqani network leader who also looked after finances for the group, the security official said. | Among those killed was Ahmad Jan, a senior Haqqani network leader who also looked after finances for the group, the security official said. |
| Thursday’s drone strike came a day after Sartaj Aziz, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told a foreign affairs panel in Islamabad that the United States had assured Pakistan that it would halt such strikes during negotiations with Pakistani militants. | |
| Mr. Aziz did not give any time frame as to when the proposed peace talks with Pakistani militants in the tribal region would begin. Earlier talks broke off following the strike that killed Mr. Mehsud. | Mr. Aziz did not give any time frame as to when the proposed peace talks with Pakistani militants in the tribal region would begin. Earlier talks broke off following the strike that killed Mr. Mehsud. |
| The Tehreek-e-Insaf Party, which rules governs Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province in a coalition with a rightist partner, Jamaat-e-Islami, had already called for a protest on Saturday to pressure Mr. Sharif to halt NATO supplies destined for Afghanistan to get the United States to stop drone strikes. | |
| Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday afternoon, Imran Khan, the former cricket star and politician, sharply criticized both the United States and the Pakistani government. | Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday afternoon, Imran Khan, the former cricket star and politician, sharply criticized both the United States and the Pakistani government. |
| Mr. Khan said his political party would stage a mass protest in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, against American drone strikes and reiterated his vow to block NATO supplies. “I urge all people to gather in Peshawar on Saturday and show that we are honorable people,” he said. | Mr. Khan said his political party would stage a mass protest in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, against American drone strikes and reiterated his vow to block NATO supplies. “I urge all people to gather in Peshawar on Saturday and show that we are honorable people,” he said. |
| Mr. Khan accused Mr. Sharif’s government of duplicity and failing to persuade the Americans to halt drone strikes. “The government says one thing to the Americans and another to its own people,” Mr. Khan said. | Mr. Khan accused Mr. Sharif’s government of duplicity and failing to persuade the Americans to halt drone strikes. “The government says one thing to the Americans and another to its own people,” Mr. Khan said. |
Ismail Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. Salman Masood and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud contributed reporting from Islamabad. | Ismail Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. Salman Masood and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud contributed reporting from Islamabad. |