Thaindian News

MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) — U.S. drone strikes on Monday killed 10 suspected militants in a compound in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, Ary news televison reported.

The twin strikes took place in Mir Ali town, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Miranshan, the main town in the tribal North Waziristan district near the Afghan border.

Two missiles were fired targeting a vehicle and a militant compound within minutes. Monday’s strikes were the fifth and sixth since the May 2 special operation in Abbottabad in which al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed.

Monday’s drone strikes came as U.S. Senator John Kerry met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad. This was the first visit by a senior U.S. official since the Abbotabad secret operation.

Kerry, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Islamabad Cameron Munter, discussed with the Pakistani government the state of the Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relationship following the May 2 operation.

The two sides agreed to recognize and respect each others national interests, particularly in regards to counter terrorism and in working together for promoting reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.

“It is important to push the ‘reset button’ in the U.S.-Pakistan relations and use this opportunity to put the relations back on track and work together to develop an effective cooperation to combat terrorism, which is in both countries’ best interests,” said Senator Kerry.

The Pakistani leadership told Kerry that even though Bin Laden was an enemy of the state, they condemned the lack of trust in regards to the secret operation. They called for working together in any future actions against high value targets in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Afghan border, which the United States considers to be the most dangerous place on Earth, is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban’s Haqqani Network, considered one of the top terrorist organizations and threats to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.