Pakistan summons U.S. envoy to protest missiles

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Source: Reuters

ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson on Thursday to receive a formal protest over missile strikes launched by pilotless drone aircraft against militant targets on Pakistani soil, a Pakistani foreign ministry official said.

The protest came a day after a suspected U.S. missile strike killed five militants, possibly including an Arab al Qaeda operative.

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"The American ambassador has been called to the Foreign Office to lodge a protest over the missile attack in Bannu," a Foreign Ministry official told Reuters.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL20659.htm

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Pakistani general calls for halt to missile strikes

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army chief called for a halt to missile attacks on Pakistani territory by pilotless drone aircraft operated by Western forces in Afghanistan.

General Ashfaq Kayani delivered the message during an address to NATO's military committee in Brussels on Wednesday, just hours after a suspected U.S. missile strike killed five militants, possibly including an Arab al Qaeda operative.

A statement issued by the Pakistani military said Kayani had urged a halt to the use of unmanned "combat aerial vehicles within Pakistani territory".

Pakistan says the attacks violate its sovereignty, make it harder to justify the alliance with the United States in a country rife with anti-American sentiment, and undermine efforts to win public support for the fight against militancy.

More: http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-36596620081120