Pakistan asked US to downsize drone strikes amid Taliban peace talks – report

10 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 732 Views

The Obama administration has dialed down CIA drone strike operations in Pakistan at the request of the government as it pursues peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, the Washington Post reports citing anonymous US officials.

Sources suggested to The Post that the current pause in strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan came at the behest of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, which accused the US of attempting to derail Pakistan’s talks with the Taliban after a drone strike killed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Hakimullah Mehsud in November.

“That’s what they asked for, and we didn’t tell them no,” one US official said.

In accordance, the Obama administration indicated it would only target senior Al-Qaeda members should they become available for a strike, and that the US would take immediate action should a “direct, imminent threat to US persons” come about, the Post reported.

The current lull in the CIA’s drone operations represents the longest period of inactivity since a six-week pause in 2011, when a US assault slaughtered 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post, ratcheting diplomatic tensions.

Hakimullah Mehsud – not the first Tehrik-i-Taliban leader to die by drone – was killed by a strike just days before Pakistan was scheduled to meet with the Taliban, resulting in the cancelation of the summit and an infuriated Pakistani government. The Obama administration has attempted to smooth relations with Sharif, who took office last June.

A senior administration official denied there was any informal agreement to curb drone strikes, telling the Post that “the issue of whether to negotiate with the Pakistani Taliban is entirely an internal matter for Pakistan.”… see more

 

source: RT

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