Pakistanis protest against US attack

The strike hit two houses belonging to tribesmen in North Waziristan's Goorweck Baipali village on the border with Afghanistan.

An unnamed official said: "Three children and two women have been killed in the missile strike, which destroyed two village homes. We suspect that the missiles were fired by forces across the border."

Residents reported seeing two pilotless drones fire three missiles.

The latest strike follows Pakistani accusations that US-led forces based in Afghanistan killed 15 people in a border village on Wednesday in neighbouring South Waziristan district.

And at least five Taliban militants were killed on Thursday when a missile from a Predator drone demolished a house in North Waziristan.

If confirmed, Wednesday's attack would mark the first time that US-led ground forces from Afghanistan have intruded into Pakistan.

Both the US-led coalition and the separate NATO-led security force operating in Afghanistan insist that they have no knowledge of that incident.

Pakistan's parliament unanimously asked the government to take measures to "repel such attacks in the future with full force" on Thursday.

Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who is almost certainly going to be elected as the country's president by a parliamentary electoral college today, joined the chorus with a strong statement condemning what he called an "outrageous and unacceptable violation of the territorial integrity of the country" and calling for a thorough investigation and adoption of "foolproof measures so that such incidents do not occur in the future."

US officials insist that destroying "militant sanctuaries" in Pakistani tribal regions is critical to crushing the growing Taliban-led resistance movement in Afghanistan.

Top US military commanders have warned Pakistan that they would start attacking Taliban havens inside Pakistan's tribal areas if the increased infiltration by guerillas into Afghanistan did not stop.

Leaders of progressive political alliance Awami Jamhoori Tehreek - Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) - have called on the working class of Pakistan to "rise up against imperialism and religious fundamentalism."

Addressing a joint press conference in Lahore last month, Pakistani leftwingers warned that religious extremists are providing an excuse to imperialist forces to intervene in Pakistan.

They condemned the burning of girl's schools, killing of innocent people and suicide attacks, while affirming their opposition to foreign military interference.

"Only a mass movement in Pakistan can stop the threat of an imperialist attack and the growing influence of religious fundamentalism," the PDM leaders stressed.