Unauthorized US strike kills 3 Pakistanis

A non-UN-sanctioned US drone attack has killed at least three people and wounded several others in Pakistan’s troubled northwestern tribal belt.

Security officials say the attack targeted a vehicle traveling in a village in the North Waziristan tribal district.

Dozens of people have been killed in similar US strikes over the past two weeks.

North Waziristan and other tribal regions in northwestern Pakistan have been frequently targeted by US drones over the past few years. Hundreds of people have been killed in the unsanctioned attacks.

Washington claims the air raids target militants who cross the border into Afghanistan. However, the victims are mainly civilians.

Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the strikes as violations of its sovereignty.

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

A surge in unauthorized US drone attacks in Pakistan along with NATO operations along the border has sparked criticism from Pakistani officials.

Pakistan also strongly condemned the violation of its airspace by US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan.

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

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

Militant attacks, unsanctioned drone strikes and political unrest have claimed the lives of over 4,000 people throughout Pakistan since 2007.