user: Pakistan govt condemns US drone strike

The Pakistani government has condemned an overnight US drone strike in its northwestern tribal region, which officials say killed at least four suspected militants.

The drone struck a compound in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan near the Afghan border with two missiles, an official said on condition of anonymity.

The identity of those killed was not known, but another security official speaking on condition of anonymity said they were thought to be linked with the Haqqani network of militants.

In a statement the Pakistan foreign ministry condemned the drone attack, saying it was against "our territorial sovereignty and international law".

"These events also generate distrust among the local populace. We reiterate our call for cessation of such strikes," according to the statement.

At least 419 US strikes in the country since 2004 have killed between 2467 and 3976 people, including hundreds of civilians, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: The Pakistani foreign ministry says a suspected US drone attack in the country was against its "territorial sovereignty and international law".


Man mauled to death by captive grizzly in Montana

A trainer who was mauled to death while cleaning the pen of two, 500-pound brown bears at a Montana wildlife casting agency suffered extensive wounds that make it impossible to determine if he was conscious before the attack, authorities said Monday.

There were no defensive wounds on the hands or arms of 24-year-old Benjamin Cloutier when his body was pulled from the pen on Sunday, and he apparently had not used the bear spray he was carrying, said Demetri Price, head trainer at Animals of Montana near Bozeman.

As a result, Price has speculated that Cloutier might have fallen and hit his head before being killed.

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin confirmed the absence of defensive wounds and the non-use of the spray. But he said there was no way to prove Cloutier was unconscious when the attack began.

"The body had been attacked so fiercely, there were so many injuries that there was no way -- that's why we're not going to speculate," Gootkin said.

However, he said it was clear that Cloutier died of bite and claw wounds that hit major arteries.

The death remains under investigation by the sheriff's office and wardens from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. It has been listed as accidental and is not considered a criminal matter.

Animals of Montana provides captive-bred animals for photography shoots and motion pictures, ranging from African lions and minks to badgers and bobcats. The company says the bears have been used in "attack re-enactments" for films in which trainers are used as stuntmen.

Cloutier had worked as a trainer at the company since 2008 and had been in the bear enclosure hundreds of times, Price said.

Price was the first person to arrive at the pen after the mauling. He described Cloutier's death as a "tragic accident" and insisted it was not an attack. Cloutier did not scream for help, and none of the other animals at the facility showed any signs of alarm before the discovery, Price said.

"I believe, given all things accounted for, that (Cloutier) was somehow rendered unconscious, whether it be he slipped and hit his head or something" else, Price said. "The bears we believed killed him, but we don't believe it was an attack scenario."

Price said he was approaching the enclosure when he saw the victim on the ground with two captive-bred, 8-year-old male bears nearby. One of the bears, nicknamed Griz, was behaving as though he had taken possession of the victim, and Price said he had to kill the animal so he could get to Cloutier.

When he did, Cloutier was dead, with wounds inflicted by Griz or the other bear in the enclosure, nicknamed Yosemite.

Cloutier was originally from York Haven, Pennsylvania. Price said the staff at Animals of Montana had suffered "a double loss" with the death of Cloutier and the loss of Griz, which he called the favorite animal of the victim.

Cloutier's family could not be immediately reached for comment.

Animals of Montana had three bears prior to Sunday that were identified on the company's website as grizzly bears.

However, the facility's permit for the two involved in the mauling lists them as Syrian brown bears, a subspecies of brown bears that are different from grizzlies, said Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Andrea Jones.

The company had the necessary state and federal permits to keep the bears. But its license is being reviewed in the wake of the death, and the company's permit to exhibit Yosemite has been suspended pending the investigation, Jones said.

Summary:

assistant: 24-year-old man was mauled to death while cleaning a grizzly bear enclosure at a wildlife casting agency.