US missile strikes have been criticised by Pakistan's political parties A suspected pilotless American drone has fired two missiles in a border area of Pakistan, killing at least seven people, Pakistani officials have said. Reports say two vehicles and a house were hit in South Waziristan. The identity of those killed is not known. US-operated pilotless drones have launched more than 20 missile attacks in Pakistani tribal areas since August. The Pakistani government is under huge public pressure to defend its territory against such attacks. The latest missile strikes came as America's top military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, made his second visit to Pakistan this month. Adm Mullen, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, arrived from Afghanistan where he met President Karzai and discussed the deployment of additional US forces. At the weekend, Adm Mullen said the US could send up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan by the middle of next year, more than previously mentioned. 'Anti-aircraft fire' Reports quoted unnamed officials as saying that the missiles struck two villages in South Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan. Reports said a drone began circling at about 0300 local time, and then struck a few hours later. Witnesses say that one of the targets was a vehicle mounted with an anti-aircraft gun, and that militants had been using the weapon to fire at the drone. Four people are believed to have been killed as missiles tore into both the vehicle and an adjacent building. Soon afterwards there was another strike in a second village nearby, with another vehicle targeted. Witnesses say that Taleban fighters gathered to bury the bodies. A resident of one of the villages told Reuters by telephone that local tribespeople had "opened fire on the drones after the attacks". A security official told AFP news agency that it was not clear whether the missile attacks had targeted any senior al-Qaeda or Taleban members. Violation US drone attacks are believed to have been largely on target, hitting Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the north-western Waziristan tribal region. There have been few civilian casualties, officials say. But Pakistani media and opposition parties view these attacks as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government was considering "a number of options" to counter attacks by US drones inside its territory. His statement came after Pakistan's air force chief said his force was equipped to tackle the drones militarily. The opposition has been pressing the government either to counter US strikes militarily, or to at least raise the issue at the United Nations. The Pakistani government says these attacks are counter-productive as they help offset the negative popularity the militants have gained in areas under their control. However, it has been reluctant to move either diplomatically or militarily to stop these strikes. This has fuelled speculation that the attacks may be part of a secret pact between Pakistan and the US.
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Pakistan Afghan Border. Location of the  and  where the air strike took place. 
A suspected United States military air strike launched by a remote-controlled and unmanned CIA aircraft on Monday morning killed at least 8 militants. Media reports claim that in two separate attacks, three missiles were fired by US drones at 's Karikot and Shin Warsak villages, a tribal area in northwest Pakistan, well-known as center of  and Al-Qaeda activity. The site of the attack is about nine miles (15 km) from the town of Wana in South Waziristan, an ungoverned tribal region.

South Waziristan is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² (4,473 mi²). It comprises the area west and southwest of  between the Tochi River to the North and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The North-West Frontier Province lies immediately to the east. The region was an independent tribal territory from 1893, remaining outside of British-ruled empire and Afghanistan. Tribal raiding into British-ruled territory was a constant problem for the British, requiring frequent punitive expeditions between 1860 and 1945. The region became part of Pakistan in 1947.

A senior security official said that "two vehicles fitted with guns were destroyed," adding that "the eight people killed were all inside the vehicles." Pakistani intelligence said they believed the extremists killed were members of local Pakistani Taliban groups. The reports also said that the missiles "targeted vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns, and one missile missed its intended target and landed near a house." A local official said nine other extremists were wounded in the drone strike.

  similar to the one alleged in the air strike.
Agence France-Presse has reported that "a missile attack late last month by a US jet killed Rashid Rauf, the alleged Al-Qaeda mastermind of a 2006 transatlantic airplane bombing plot, as well as an Egyptian Al-Qaeda operative, security officials have said." US unmanned drones have launched not less than 20 missile attacks in Pakistan Afghan border or tribal areas since August. The strikes have raised tensions between Washington and . 

In November, Prime Minister  viewed these missile strikes as flagrant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He announced his government was considering "a number of options to counter attacks". BBC has reported, however, that Pakistan "has been reluctant to move either diplomatically or militarily to stop these strikes." "This has fuelled speculation that the attacks may be part of a secret pact between Pakistan and the US," it added. Meanwhile, President George W. Bush, last week, said that "you know very well that when it comes to certain matters, the U.S. government doesn't discuss operations." He ruled out consultations with other governments, including Pakistan, prior to drone strikes operations.