A US drone strike has killed eight people in northwestern Pakistan, the latest in a series of drone attacks.
The attack came as a retired US general warned the overuse of such strikes may threaten US foreign policy goals.
A foreign tactical trainer for al-Qaeda was reportedly among those killed in the latest strike, although reports differed on his nationality.
Some intelligence officials said he was from Somalia, but others said he was from the United Arab Emirates.
Three others were also injured in the attack on Haiderkhel village, about 30km east of the provincial capital of Miranshah in North Waziristan, a region along the Afghan border that is a key stronghold of the Taliban.
Al-Qaeda's top strategist Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed nearby in a drone attack last year.
Yesterday, retired US General Stanley McChrystal said that drones had helped US troops but were hated around the world and that their overuse could jeopardise US security.
Opinion in Pakistan is divided over drone strikes. Many criticise them as an infringement of the country's sovereignty and because they have killed civilians.
Others say the strikes reach militants who are terrorising the local population in areas the Pakistani army cannot go.
There has been an increase in drone strikes in recent weeks.
