But the US has shown no sign that it intends to stop using what it considers a vital tool to fight al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Washington has long called on Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani group, which it says has frequently launched attacks on foreign troops from mountainous hideouts in Pakistan’s lawless North Waziristan region.
Islamabad has refused, saying its troops are already too stretched battling domestic militants.
It is the first drone strike in the nation since Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed on November 1.
Pakistani officials were outraged at that attack because they said it came a day before they planned to invite the leader to hold peace talks.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz was quoted as saying that the US had promised not to conduct drone strikes while the government tries to engage the Taliban in peace talks.
Article Appeared @http://news.sky.com/story/1171696/drone-strike-in-pakistan-kill-militants