Islamabad: Pakistan's foreign ministry summoned US Ambassador Anne Patterson on Thursday to lodge a formal protest against another suspected US missile strike on its territory, an act the country's prime minister called a violation of his nation's sovereignty.
The strike in the Bannu region of Pakistan's North West Frontier province left five dead and seven wounded Wednesday. It was deeper inside Pakistani territory than previous attacks.
It targeted a home outside the tribal areas that US intelligence says have become a haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters battling US and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
The attack was the third suspected US strike on Pakistani soil in November and the first to hit outside the tribal districts.
At least three non-Pakistanis were believed to be living at the home that was the target of the raid, local official Abdul Hameed, told CNN.
The US government has not acknowledged hitting targets within Pakistan, an ally in the war on al-Qaeda launched after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
But Pakistan's government has repeatedly complained about the strikes.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani took to the floor of the parliament and renewed his condemnation of the attacks Thursday, saying they violate Pakistan's sovereignty.
In October, the foreign ministry summoned Patterson to lodge a "strong" protest on continuing missile attacks and said they should be stopped immediately. At the time, a missile strike from a suspected US drone on a compound in South Waziristan killed 20 people.
Pakistan's government says the attacks cost lives and undermine public support for its counter-terrorism efforts.
The US-led coalition and NATO -- based in Afghanistan have been seeking a way to effectively battle militants who are launching attacks from Pakistan's swath of tribal areas along the border.
They have become frustrated with Islamabad over the years, saying it is not being proactive enough against militants -- a claim Pakistan denies.
The United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely.
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