Afghanistan to be US base for drone attacks in Pakistan
======================================================
WASHINGTON: US is shifting its terror-killer drones from Pakistan to Afghanistan after Islamabad asked it to shut down UAV bases on its territory , but America has vowed to continue hitting militants in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Pakistan has asked CIA to remove its personnel from the Shamsi airbase, about 350 kms southwest of Baluchistan's capital Quetta, where some of the drones are based, 'New York Times' reported quoting senior American officials.
"The withdrawal has not occurred but is expected soon," the official said adding that the drone attacks would then be flown out of Afghanistan where some of them are already based.
But even after shifting, the Predators and Reapers, top US military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, in a private meeting in Islamabad last week told Pakistan's army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that CIA would not reduce the drone strikes until Pakistan launched a military operation against the Haqqani network in North Waziristan.
As tensions mount, 'The Times' said the appointment of General David H Petraeus as US's top spy chief could further inflame relations as Pakistan military does not regard him as a "friend"
Pakistan has asked CIA to remove its personnel from the Shamsi airbase, about 350 kms southwest of Baluchistan's capital Quetta, where some of the drones are based, 'New York Times' reported quoting senior American officials.
"The withdrawal has not occurred but is expected soon," the official said adding that the drone attacks would then be flown out of Afghanistan where some of them are already based.
But even after shifting, the Predators and Reapers, top US military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, in a private meeting in Islamabad last week told Pakistan's army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that CIA would not reduce the drone strikes until Pakistan launched a military operation against the Haqqani network in North Waziristan.
As tensions mount, 'The Times' said the appointment of General David H Petraeus as US's top spy chief could further inflame relations as Pakistan military does not regard him as a "friend"
(source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
======================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment