Islamabad: Pakistan expressed to the US its concerns about missile strikes in its tribal areas by American drones operating from Afghanistan, saying such attacks were unacceptable.

President Asif Ali Zardari's conveyed Pakistan's concerns in this regard to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she called him Thursday evening, TV channels quoted officials as saying.

An official statement said Rice and Zardari discussed bilateral relations and the regional situation. They also discussed the recently held meeting of the Friends of Pakistan group in the UAE, the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue and other matters of mutual interest.

In the past few weeks, Pakistan's top leadership has conveyed the opposition of the government and the people to US and Western leaders. US drones have carried out more than two dozen strikes in the tribal belt in the past few weeks, killing several Taliban and al-Qaida elements.

Pakistan has described the attacks as a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Source : PTI