(voanews)
Pakistani officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed at least 24 suspected militants in the country's northwest.

Friday's strike took place near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region — a known hub of Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants.

Officials told VOA that foreigners were among those killed when missiles hit a compound in the area. It was one of the deadliest reported U.S. strikes and the first such attack since Pakistan re-opened NATO supply lines into Afghanistan following a seven-month shutdown.

Pakistan closed the routes after a coalition airstrike mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops near the Afghan border last November.

After the cross-border attack, Pakistan's parliament reviewed the country's terms of future engagement with the United States and demanded an end to drone strikes on its territory, as well as an unconditional apology for the attack that killed Pakistani troops.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement on Tuesday, saying the United States “is sorry for the Pakistani military's losses.” Pakistan later reopened the supply routes.

On Friday, hundreds of Islamists in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and the southern port city of Karachi protested the reopening of the supply lines...
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