An unmanned US predator drone killed a top Al Qaeda operative Monday inside Pakistan's tribal belt, even as Pakistan's newly elected prime minister made his first visit to Washington to discuss the war on terrorists with President Bush. The timing of the two events suggests that, as Pakistan's government struggles to form a coherent counter-terrorism strategy, the Bush administration is determined to take matters into its own hands.

Monday's strike is said to have targeted one of Al Qaeda's top weapon makers, an Egyptian national, according to the Dawn, a leading Pakistani English-language newspaper.

A missile apparently fired from a Predator drone killed at least six people on Monday in a compound in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

A security official said the strike might have killed a senior Al Qaeda trainer known for his expertise in chemicals. The official put the death toll at 12.

"Our report suggests that the missile strike might have killed Abu Khabab Al Misri. But it remains unconfirmed," the official cautioned.

The 55-year-old Midhat Mursi As-Sayid Umar alias Abu Khabab was earlier reported to have been killed in a US missile strike in Bajaur's Damadola area in Jan 2006. However, later reports showed that he was not among those killed.

A report in the Los Angeles Times says that the United States acted on its own in carrying out the strike, a break from protocol.

In the past, Pakistani authorities have sometimes aided in or carried out the reported capture or killing of a senior Islamic militant at around the time of such meetings.

But another, senior American official said that, in this case, the strike was a "strictly unilateral" one by the U.S. without any assistance from Pakistan. It was merely coincidental that it overlapped with Gillani's visit, the official said.

If true, the US's willingness to take unilateral action is part of a growing pattern that is causing a rift between Pakistani and American officials, reports The Daily Times, another Pakistani newspaper.

Repeated United States missile strikes in Pakistan can harm relations between the two countries, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid told a visiting US commander on Monday. "Expressing concern over repeated cross-border missile attacks/firing by coalition and Afghan forces, General Tariq said that our sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," an [Inter-Services Public Relations] statement quoted Tariq as telling Acting CENTCOM chief Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey. "Any violation in this regard could be detrimental to bilateral relations," it added.

The strike came as Mr. Bush met for the first time with Pakistan's new Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Pakistan's civilian government, which was elected in February through democratic elections, has struggled in its first 100 days of office to form a counter-terrorism strategy that appeases both its citizens and the West, according to an opinion piece in The Daily Times.

[The elected governments in Islamabad and Peshawar] are going through a learning process and their socialisation with the realities of world politics and a comprehension of the security situation on the border may take some time. It is difficult to say whether they will stick to the template they inherited from Pervez Musharraf or redefine Pakistan's strategic partnership with US.

Earlier this month, The Christian Science Monitor reported that the Pakistani government was opting for a two-pronged approach to tackle militancy in the region.

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