The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has withdrawn its station chief from Islamabad following threats against his life after his name was revealed in a Pakistani lawsuit.
The station chief's identity was revealed this week in a legal complaint by a Pakistani lawyer on behalf of clients who are relatives of individuals who died in suspected U.S. drone attacks.
U.S. officials do not comment on the drone strikes except to say they are an integral part of the war against al-Qaida terrorists who use Pakistan's tribal regions as a strategic base. An intelligence official told reporters Friday that the CIA mission in Pakistan will continue unabated.
Also Friday, three suspected U.S. missile strikes killed at least 24 people in the Khyber region of northwestern Pakistan. Pakistani officials say American missiles struck three locations Friday in the Tirah valley.
Most previous suspected U.S. missile strikes have occurred in North Waziristan, an area near the Afghan border where al-Qaida and Taliban militants are believed to live and operate.
Pakistan formally protests the strikes. U.S. officials do not comment on the strikes except to say they are a major weapon in the fight against terrorists.