Family members of a taxi driver who lost his life in a drone strike by United States targeting Taliban leader have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against U.S. authorities, ARY News reported.
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Islamabad has denounced Washington’s attack on the Taliban leader on its territory, with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry calling it “a violation of sovereignty”.
“From a policy point of view, we have to hope for the best but expect very little and keep our expectation modest and not adjust any of our other strategies as a result of any hopefulness about the peace talks”, said Michael O’Hanlon, the co-director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution.
Ghani demanded of Pakistan to arrest and hand over Taliban leaders who find refuge in the country.
Kerry said the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan were notified about the airstrikes but failed to confirm the exact timing.
There is a growing feeling in Washington that Islamabad contributed to the inability of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces to achieve victory in Afghanistan against the Afghan Taliban by allowing the later to use sanctuaries in Pakistan.
“We have extended the hand of peace once again to all those Taliban who might want to take this opportunity now and join the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process”, he said.
But he had also said that final announcement will made after DNA tests. Authorisation for the strike came directly from US President Barack Obama.
Mansour’s death was hailed as a major blow to the Islamist militants, who have been waging war in Afghanistan since they were removed from power in 2001.
He insisted that “Pakistan’s efforts, successes and sacrifices in fight against terrorism have been unparalleled”.
Pakistani Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan in a press conference on the issue on Tuesday 24th May 2016 clearly indicated Pakistan’s anger on the violation of its territory by United States government.
A passport in the name of Wali Muhammad, believed to be used by Mansour for his travels, allegedly found near the scene of the drone strike and which miraculously remained undamaged, bears a valid Iranian visa which shows that Mansour entered Iran on March 28 and exited on May 21.
Also yesterday, Federal Anti-Corruption Court issued non-bailable arrest warrants of three Afghanistan nationals and three Nadra officials for providing Afghanistan citizens with National Identity Cards.
Meanwhile, Baghlan provincial governor, Abdul Satar Bariz, in talks with Xinhua confirmed a clash in Baghlan-e-Markazi district and said that aircraft attack on a Taliban battle tank Sunday evening killed four insurgents and injured six others.
Nawaz Sharif before becoming Prime Minister, he said, had unequivocally stated that drone attacks will not be tolerated.
Although the exact nature of Mansour’s contacts with Iranian establishment is not known, given the nature of Pakistan-Iran diplomatic relations, his frequent visits to that country must have been a source of concern for his Pakistani handlers.
“I think the USA finally said we have given this process a chance”.
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It does reflect that even this nominally “successful” USA drone strike caused a civilian casualty, however, and the relative Pentagon ambivalence about killing bystanders with drone strikes into countries against which the U.S. is not at war.
