America continues drone strikes in Pakistan

Islamabad, Apr 30 (ANI): A fresh drone strike by America in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency, which killed three suspected militants and injured two, clearly indicates that the Central Investigation Agency would press ahead with its drone strikes in that country, despite the Parliament's demand to end the attacks.

The drone fired two missiles targeting an abandoned girls' high school building in Miranshah, thought to be a base of operations for militants, an official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The school was abandoned by children due militancy in the area.

In Washington, a senior official confirmed the strike, describing the compound as a "staging and planning area for Al Qaeda, the Haqqanis and other terrorists." He said the militants based there "were preparing explosives for use in attacks inside Afghanistan," similar to the April 15 attacks. The militants were believed to be Punjabi Taliban fighters with the Haqqani network.

The latest talks on ending a diplomatic deadlock between the United States and Pakistan ended in failure over Pakistan's demands for an unconditional apology from the United States for the deadly airstrike by NATO in November 2011 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghanistan border.

The White House, angered by the Taliban attacks in Afghanistan on April 15 in Kabul and two other Afghan cities, refused to apologise.

The U.S. sees drone strikes as crucial in fighting militants hiding in Pakistan's border areas and senior officials have said that the drone attacks would have to continue if Pakistan would not or could not strike insurgents in places like Miranshah. (ANI)