A US missile attack killed at least eight people in northwest Pakistan on Monday. A local security official told the Associated Press that an unmanned drone aircraft was spotted circling over the village of Kari Khel at about 3 a.m. He further said that the spy aircraft later fired missiles at two vehicles, one of which had been firing an anti-aircraft gun at the drone.

Eight people in two vehicles were killed by the missiles and another was wounded, the official said. Near one of the vehicles an unexploded missile was also found on the ground , he added.

The  attacks occurred about eight kilometres apart in South Waziristan in a tribal area that is a considered haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who use it to mount attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan. It is also believed to be the possible hiding place of Osama bin Laden though not even a single evidence of his presence is provided by any intellegence agencies who repeatedly claim Osama’s presence in this area.

Washington has urged Pakistan to assert control in the region and take stiffer action against militants. There’s been growing concern in the U.S. that Pakistan is unwilling or incapable of rooting out extremists in its border region. It is true that Pakistan is incapable of rooting out extremists as Pakistan cannot remove the very basic cause of extremism in these areas which is the presence of US and NATO forces in the region.  The missile attacks are only making Pakistan’s task difficult.

The United States has allegedly carried out more than 30 missile strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas since September. Washington has not officially commented on the alleged attacks.