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Pakistan Condemns US Drone Strikes

by Ayaz Gul June 12, 2014

Two U.S. drone strikes have struck Pakistan's volatile North Waziristan tribal territory on the Afghan border, killing at least 16 suspected militants. The pre-dawn attacks on Thursday have ended the longest pause in the 10-year CIA-run drone campaign.

Residents and local intelligence officials have reported that the first drone attack targeted a vehicle and a militant compound near Miranshah, the administrative center of the Pakistan tribal district.

Foreigners are said to be among up to six people killed in the raid and some of them belonged to the Haqqani Network fighting alongside the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

Hours later, U.S. drones again fired missiles in the same area that reportedly killed at least 10 suspected militants.

Pakistan condemns strikes

The two incidents provoked a swift condemnation by the Pakistani government. In a written statement, the foreign ministry spokeswoman described the strikes as a "violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity". It reiterated Islamabad's longstanding position that the US action damages Pakistani efforts to counter national and regional terrorism.

However, hours later, speaking at the weekly press conference, the spokeswoman, Tasneem Aslam, was apparently reluctant to stand by her earlier statement, giving credence to reports the latest drone strikes were carried out with the tacit approval of the Pakistani authorities.

"As regards the reports of a drone attack or attacks, we still do not have the factual position. So, we are at the moment ascertaining the situation and facts and we will share our position once we know the facts," Aslam said.

It is widely perceived that the United States halted its drone campaign at the request of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government to persuade the Pakistani Taliban entrenched in the Waziristan and surrounding tribal areas to peacefully end their militant activities. The militant organization has been waging a bloody insurgency against the state and hosts Afghan as well al-Qaida operatives in the tribal strongholds.

More terror attacks

The U.S. drone strikes were long condemned many in Pakistan as the major cause of increasing terrorism in the country. But despite the longest pause in the decade long drone campaign and opening of a peace process between the government and Taliban representatives, terrorist attacks have continued throughout Pakistan, killing hundreds of people.

However, hopes of seeking a negotiated end to the militancy in Pakistan have apparently ended after Sunday's audacious attacks against the main Karachi airport that killed at least 39 people. Authorities say security forces killed all ten terrorists who took part the brazen raid. The heavily armed men were said to be members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan entrenched in North Waziristan and a key partner of the Pakistani Taliban.