Pakistan's military says its helicopter gunships have destroyed a suspected terrorist training facility near the border with Afghanistan, killing up to 80 militants.
The chief military spokesman (Shaukat Sultan) says today's early-morning raid in the Bajaur tribal region targeted an Islamic seminary, known as a madrassa, where militants were being trained.
The Islamic school was operated by a Muslim cleric wanted in Pakistan for terrorist activities and for providing refuge to al-Qaida militants. The spokesman dismissed claims that the air strike killed innocent civilians.
But Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the head of the main opposition alliance known as M-M-A, has condemned the military strike. He alleged that U.S. forces carried out the attack and that most of the victims were teenagers studying in the madrassa. He also announced countrywide protest rallies on Tuesday against the killings.