Despite Pak protests, US drones seen flying over N Waziristan last night

Miranshah, Sept 23 : Despite repeated utterances from Pakistan to the US to stop air raids on its territory, unmanned US' drones were seen hovering over different areas of North Waziristan even on Monday night.

Quoting sources, The News reported that drones flew over Ghulam Khan, Danday, Darpakhel, Hamzoni, Dattakhel, Mir Ali and Razmak along Pak-Afghan border and different areas of North Waziristan including Miranshah.

The sources further said situation was tense in the area amid drones' flights.

The US has increased the number of air raids on Pakistani territory over the past one month and also carried out an on-the-ground raid aimed at eliminating suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists. But, Pakistan maintains that a number of civilians, including women and children, were killed in such raids from across the Afghanistan border.

The air raids have evoked strong reactions from different levels of Pakistan administration and Army as well. The country Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani had last week said that such raids could prove "counter-productive" and urged upon the US to desist from such attacks on Pakistan's soil.

He had also said that Pakistani troops were capable enough to fight back terrorists.

After the hurriedly arranged meeting between Pakistani Army chief and US top security official Michael Mullen, the US had said that it would respect Pakistan's sovereignty and cooperate with it in its war-on-terror.

Only yesterday, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said in New York that only Pakistani troops had the authority to launch anti-terror attacks and if foreign troops indulged in incursions, it amounted to the violation of the UN Charter.

ANI