ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A suspected U.S. drone strike Thursday killed at least four people in Pakistan's tribal region, officials said.
China's official Xinhua news agency, citing local media, said at least four people died in the strike in North Waziristan. CNN, citing Pakistani intelligence officials, said the missiles fired by the drone killed alleged militants in two vehicles in Miranshah region near the border with Afghanistan.
It was the second such suspected U.S. drone strike this week, after a long lull following a Nov. 26 NATO airstrike in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were mistakenly killed. The first of this week's strikes occurred Tuesday.
The Nov. 26 strike provoked widespread protest in Pakistan and further strained U.S.-Pakistan relations.
CNN quoted officials as saying those killed in the Thursday strike were Turkmenistani nationals who were carrying explosives material.
In Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit called such strikes counterproductive and a violation of the country's sovereignty, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
"Pakistan has clear position on drone attacks and it has disadvantage over tactical benefits," Basit said.
