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U.S. officials say the United States has intensified its bombing campaign against militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, in an effort to prevent attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

Unnamed officials said Tuesday the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has launched 20 attacks using armed drone aircraft in September, the most ever in a single month.

They say they are stepping up the strikes to prevent attacks on international forces in Afghanistan and disrupt possible terrorist plots on the West from Pakistan-based militants.

U.S. officials have said drones are valuable weapons used to kill high-profile al-Qaida and Taliban leaders.

But Pakistani officials have protested the drone strikes, saying the attacks are a clear violation of the country's sovereignty.

The New York Times reports the expanded campaign also comes as top officials are trying to curb the rise in American casualties in Afghanistan, before the Obama administration conducts a comprehensive review of its war strategy in December.

The latest suspected U.S. attack was on Monday, when Pakistani officials said a drone fired missiles at a house in northwestern Pakistan and killed four people.

Article by VOA News