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A barrage of non-UN-sanctioned US drone strikes have killed at least 18 people and wounded several others in Pakistan’s South Waziristan’s tribal region near the Afghan border.In the first strike, the US drone fired two missiles on a house in Shalam Raghzai area in the town of Wana in northwestern Pakistan, killing seven people and wounding several more, a Press TV correspondent quoted local sources as saying early Monday.
The number of casualties is expected to rise as many of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
Hours later, a second strike claimed the lives of eight more in the Wacha Dana area, 12 kilometres northwest of Wana.
The third attack came shortly, killing three more people and destroying a vehicle.
The strikes came in the wake of a similar attack in the tribal border region in less than a week. On Thursday, a missile attack targeted a suspected militant compound in Wana, allegedly killing at least eight militants.
Islamabad has repeatedly criticized the unauthorized US drone attacks in Pakistan as violations of the South Asian country’s sovereignty.
Earlier this week, thousands of Pakistanis staged a demonstration in the port city of Karachi, calling for an end to the non-UN-sanctioned US air strikes in the country.
Washington claims the air strikes target militants. However, according to numerous figures, the attacks have killed hundreds of civilians in Pakistan since 2008.
The issue of civilian casualties has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington with the Pakistani government repeatedly objecting to the attacks.<\/p>\n