US shifting Pakistan's operations to Afghanistan: report
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, June 29 ,IRNA -- The United States is ending its Afghan war operations from its bases in Pakistan and now all operations will be conducted in Afghanistan, a leading Pakistani daily reported on Wednesday.
Former President Pervez Musharraf had allowed the US to use Pakistani air bases in military operation in Afghanistan when Pakistan joined the international coalition in late 2001.
Defence Minister Cahudhry Ahmad Mukhtar had once publicly admitted that American forces were using Shamsi airbase in southwestern Balochistan province for logistical purposes.
Earlier, the US was also using the Jacobabad Airbase in southern Sindh province and Pasni in Balochistan for its operations in Afghanistan, according to Pakistani media.
Pakistan Air Chief Rao Qamar Suleman told the parliament last month that UAE is now using the Shamsi air base and the Pakistani media had also reported that the UAE had allowed the US to use the air base for drone strikes in the tribal regions.
Opposition parties in Pakistan had been critical at the use of the country’s air bases by the American forces.
The US has made preparations to shift its operations from its bases in Pakistan to its six bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Urdu language ‘Jang’ newspaper reported.
According to the report a 60-member Pentagon delegation recently paid a secret visit to the US six bases in Afghanistan. It said that the US vice-president Joe Biden and the CIA outgoing chief Leon Panetta also visited these bases ahead of the operations shifting plan.
The US is now using its Bagran air base for drone strikes in Pakistan, daily Jang reported.
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30455064
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