Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Pakistan says no agreement on U.S drone attacks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan, 28 – Pakistan said on Wednesday that there is no agreement with the United States on drone attacks on the country's tribal regions.

U.S drones regularly conduct missile strikes on Pakistan's tribal region of Waziristan, which Washington says aimed at targeting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Officials say that U.S carried out around 50 missile strikes on Pakistan last year, killing majority civilians.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that the United States would continue drone strikes at suspected militants' targets inside the tribal regions and has conveyed its decision to the government of Pakistan.

"There is no understanding between Pakistan and the United States on predator attacks," Pakistan Foreign Ministry said in response to a question regarding U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gate's statement on US drone attacks inside Pakistan's territory.

"We want closer cooperation at the operational level to deal with militancy," the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said in a statement.

"This cooperation is part of a broader cooperation to bring peace and stability and eliminating extremism".

He said Pakistan has done more than any other country as far as Al-Qaida is concerned.

"We look forward to working closely with the new US Administration on all issues, including in the fight against terrorism," the spokesman said.

Robert Gates told the US Senate panel that fighting Al Qaeda in its refuge inside Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan was an important objective also of the Obama administration.

Pakistan was hopeful that the Obama administration will stop missile strikes on Pakistan but Gates statement has cleared the picture that there would be no pause on strikes.