Suspected U.S. missile attack kills 7 in Pakistan

The military says more than 1,000 militants have been killed in Bajaur since it launched an offensive in August but there has been no independent verification of that casualty estimate.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan is grappling with a surge of militant violence and an economic crisis that has raised fears for its stability.

Islamabad is expected to begin talks on a loan program with the International Monetary Fund in the next few days after the government approached the agency for help, having run out of options to rectify its economic crisis.

Pakistan's backing for the U.S.-led campaign against militancy is deeply unpopular though the government, led by the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has vowed to maintain support and root out terrorism, while offering talks with militants who give up arms.

The country's parliament passed a resolution late on Wednesday essentially endorsing the government's strategy though it said dialogue must be the highest priority.

(Additional reporting by Alamgir Bitani and Sahibzada Bahauddin; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel and Valerie Lee)