Hundreds of armed tribesmen on Thursday rallied against US drone
attacks in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, demanding compensation for
damage and losses, witnesses said.
Markets remained closed during
the rally in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, the tribal
district most frequently targeted by drone strikes against Taliban and
Al-Qaeda militants.
Up to 2,000 tribesmen gathered in Miranshah
bazaar shouting "Death to America" and "Stop drone attacks in Pakistan"
at the rally organised by Pakistan's largest Islamic party,
Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI), witnesses said.
"The United Nations should take notice of American drone strikes," cleric Maulana Abul Rehman told the gathering.
The
crowd demanded an immediate end to drone attacks and compensation for
those who lost relatives or property, as well as condemning this week's
burning of Korans at a US-run base in neighbouring Afghanistan.
President
Barack Obama last month confirmed for the first time that US drones
target Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants on Pakistani soil, but American
officials do not discuss details of the covert programme.
The US
strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public, who see the
attacks as a violation of sovereignty and who blame the government's US
alliance for much of the violence plaguing the country.
According
to an AFP tally, 45 US missile strikes were reported in Pakistan's
tribal belt in 2009, the year Obama took office, 101 in 2010 and 64 in
2011.
The programme has dramatically increased as the Obama
administration looks to withdraw all foreign combat troops from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014. AFP
