The CIA has carried out one of its deadliest drone attack on civilians in Pakistan to date. Up to to 40 people were killed Thursday after missiles struck a public meeting, or jirga, in North Waziristan. The victims had assembled to resolve a dispute with the Taliban over a local mine. In a statement, the head of the Pakistani military issued a rare condemnation of the United States, saying “peaceful citizens, including elders of the area, were carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life.” The United States is maintaining all victims were militants. A U.S. official told the New York Times, “These people weren’t gathering for a bake sale. They were terrorists.”