Massive anti-US rally held in Pakistan

Hundreds of people have held an anti-US demonstration in northwestern Pakistan to protest civilian killings in non-UN-sanctioned US drone attacks.

Over 2,000 demonstrators in the tribal city of Miranshah held Washington and the US spy agency CIA, responsible for the soaring civilian deaths.

They called for an immediate end to US missile attacks in North Waziristan region along the Afghan border.

North Waziristan and other tribal regions in northwestern Pakistan have been frequently targeted by US drones over the past few years.

The participants chanted anti-US slogans and burnt an effigy of US President Barack Obama.

“Killer, killer, CIA killer”, “Stop drone attacks” and “America’s friends are traitors,” shouted the crowd.

The aerial raids, initiated by former US President George W. Bush, have been escalated under President Obama.

In 2010, unauthorized US air strikes doubled and 1,200 lives were lost in 124 drone attacks.

Washington claims the airstrikes target militants, but most of the attacks result in civilian casualties.

According to Pakistani sources, the drone attacks kill almost 50 civilians for every militant they target — a hit rate of 2 percent.

The issue of civilian casualties has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington with the Pakistani government repeatedly objecting to the attacks.

The rising civilian death toll has fueled anti-American sentiments in Pakistan with Islamabad condemning the strikes, arguing that they violate the country’s sovereignty.