US chopper attacks kill 50 in Pakistan

Two helicopters operated by the US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan have crossed into Pakistan’s volatile tribal areas, killing at least 50 people.

The US-led alliance said the move was an act of self-defense after militants targeted a small military outpost near the Pakistan border.

Manned military flights across the border are infrequent but US drone attacks in northwestern Pakistan have taken a turn for the worse over the last few weeks.

In the most recent of such attacks, 12 people were killed in three US drone strikes in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district.

There were over 20 similar attacks in Pakistan in September alone which resulted in the death of at least 100 people.