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Suspected US Missile Strike Kills 5 in Pakistan

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Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone (pilotless aircraft) has fired missiles into a tribal region in the country's northwest, killing at least five people.

Security officials and witnesses say the missiles struck a religious school Thursday in a North Waziristan village near the Afghan border, a stronghold of al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from U.S. officials.

Suspected U.S. drone aircraft have launched about 12 missile strikes against targets in North and South Waziristan in the past two months. Pakistani leaders have denounced the attacks, calling them a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.

Pakistan's parliament Wednesday called for an urgent review of the nation's security strategy, with an emphasis on dialogue aimed at reducing violence.

In a rare joint session held behind closed doors, both houses of parliament late Wednesday passed a resolution calling for dialogue with all parties willing to abide by the rule of law. That language is seen as an indirect reference to Taliban militants.

The resolution also called for "an independent foreign policy," a clause that points to some lawmakers' discomfort with the level of influence that Washington has on Islamabad's approach to fighting terrorism.

The Pakistani government is under pressure from Afghanistan and the United States to take on militants based along the Afghan border.

Some Pakistani lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, have vocally advocated dialogue with the militants to end the unrest and help stabilize the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

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