Islamabad, Nov. 3 (AP): Thousands of angry tribesmen and Islamists protested today across Pakistan against an airstrike that killed 80 people at a religious school near the Afghan border this week, as state TV aired video footage purportedly showing militants in training there before the attack.

More than 5,000 people rallied in the Bajur tribal region, scene of Monday’s airstrike that destroyed a madarsa run by a Pakistani cleric with alleged ties to al Qaida number two Ayman al-Zawahri. They demanded government compensation for relatives of the dead.

Religious hardliners gathered in other key cities across Pakistan, railing against America and key anti-terror ally, President Pervez Musharraf.

Bajur residents and Islamic parties claim the strike was launched by US drones and that the victims were either religious students or teachers.