DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — U.S. missiles fired from a drone in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border killed eight suspected militants early Sunday, officials said, as the controversial American strikes continue despite Islamabad’s persistent demands that they stop.

The latest attack killed fighters loyal to militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the officials said. Bahadur is believed by residents of the region to have an informal working relationship with the Pakistani army, refraining from targeting the security forces while focusing on U.S. and NATO forces in nearby Afghanistan.