US drone 'kills 8' in Pakistan
A US drone strike has killed at least eight people in a volatile tribal area of north-west Pakistan, officials say.
The strike targeted suspected militants of Turkmen origin in the North Waziristan tribal area, they said.
This is the second strike in the area in 24 hours. At least four suspected militants were killed on Wednesday.
Drone attacks frequently target Pakistan's restive tribal areas, where many insurgents seek refuge.
The drone fired two missiles at a house in the Isokhel area near Mir Ali. A nearby mosque was also damaged, reports say.
Five people died at the scene and three others who were injured died afterwards, according to a local official.
This district, near the Afghan border, is known to be a Taliban stronghold and a place where there are a large number of foreign militants, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool.
The attack comes weeks after Pakistan's parliament resolved that the relationship with the US could only move forward positively if there was an end to drone attacks, our correspondent adds.
The US says the region is home to several militant groups involved in attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan. But Pakistan has said drone raids serve to drive local people closer to the militants.
Washington has cut the number of drone operations but has ruled out stopping them altogether.
The issue of drone strikes, along with Pakistan's refusal to re-open Nato supply routes to Afghanistan, has led to increased tension in US-Pakistan relations in recent months.
The Pakistani government repeatedly argues that drone attacks are a violation of its sovereignty.
But correspondents say many analysts believe they could not continue without tacit support from the country's leadership.