Drone strikes intensify in wake of bin Laden death

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A US drone aircraft fired missiles at militants in Pakistan on Thursday, killing eight of them, Pakistani officials said, the third such attack since US forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in his Pakistani hideout.

The killing of the al-Qaida chief in a US raid on May 2 has strained ties between Washington and Islamabad, with suspicion in the United States that Pakistan knew where bin Laden was hiding and Pakistan angered by a raid it saw as a violation of sovereignty.

The drone strikes also anger many Pakistanis and are a source of friction between the allies. Pakistan officially objects to the attacks although US officials say they are carried out on an understanding with Pakistan.