ISLAMABAD (REUTERS) - The Pakistani government summoned the US ambassador to protest over the death of Taleban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike, it said on Saturday.

A statement from the Foreign Office said Friday's strike was "counter-productive to Pakistan's efforts to bring peace and stability to Pakistan and the region".

Mehsud was head of the Pakistani Taleban, an insurgent group that has beheaded Pakistani soldiers and killed thousands of civilians in suicide bombings. The group also directed a failed attempt to bomb Times Square in New York.