| Font Size |
Pakistani officials have complained publicly about the attacks from unmanned US aircraft in tribal areas, saying they are a violation of sovereignty and increase resentment towards both Pakistan's government and the United States.
US officials normally decline to comment publicly on reports of the missile strikes, but Gates made an exception when asked about Pakistan's complaints at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
US drones fired missiles into the northwestern regions of North and South Waziristan late on Friday, killing 17 people, according to intelligence officials and residents, in the first such strike since Barack Obama became US President, succeeding George W Bush.
"Both President Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al Qaeda wherever al Qaeda is and we will continue to pursue that," Gates said.
Asked by committee chairman Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, if that decision had been conveyed to the Pakistani government, Gates replied: ‘Yes, sir.’
The United States, frustrated by an intensifying Afghan insurgency and what it sees as Pakistan's failure to stem the flow of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters from northwest Pakistan into Afghanistan, stepped up the missile attacks in 2008.
It has carried out about 30 missile attacks, according to a Reuters tally, more than half of them in the last four months of the year.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|
US should for more acurate attack on terrorist hide outs , head on with fast
U S started feeling wrong for supporting Pakistan, a hardcore muslim country. The support US given before to Pakistan is the cause for the jihadis to turn against US. But anyhow it is welcome sign for the future of human race.
Very Good. They deserve it for what they have done. There is only a single stance for Pak on terror. They are a terrorist country. To fund their terror activities they act as if they are fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda before USA and get an annual sum for that.
it will encourage the terrorists and sympathy for them will arose.IT is not good for US as the unstability will shifted from Pak to India as it is shifted from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
US has started washing its own shit, that they created our the years in pakisthan
Target should also be Islamabad and Karachi where most of the terrorist are sitting in the name of Public Support.
Pakistani leaders seemingly are very much concerned about health of these terrorists otherwise they should welcome attack on terrorists by drones. But pakistani leaders know that these people are golden hens/cocks for them as they can earn billions in the name of fighting against terror. And when they are killed then there will be no inflow of money.
Three cheers to America for going after the Taliban and Al Qaeda with the intention of wiping them out in Pak and Afghanistan. Paki sovereignty is a farcical myth. Terrorists, drug mafias and international criminals of a dozen nationalities are in and out the country as they like and operate from many parts of Pakistan where they have set up bases that negate Paki authority and sovereignty.
Well if Pakistan is incapable of controlling its non-state actors who indulge in terrorism, somebody will have to do Pakistan's work, US or India, may be one day, jointly.