13 June 2016

News Story: Pakistan says U.S. failed to explain logic behind drone strike

ISLAMABAD, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's top foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, said on Sunday that senior U.S. officials, who visited Pakistan on Friday, could not explain logic behind the recent drone strike in Balochistan province that killed the Afghan Taliban chief, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.

American security officials and diplomats visited Pakistan amid growing tensions caused by the May 21 drone attack that Pakistan insists also undermined the diplomatic efforts to start the peace talks in Afghanistan.

"The U.S. leaders could not give any reason during talks as to why they killed the Taliban leader. We made it clear to them that the attack has hurt the Afghan peace process," Aziz told Dawn TV in an exclusive interview.

Some U.S. officials had earlier claimed that Mansoor was responsible for the killing of American, foreign and Afghan forces and that he was also opposed to the peace process.

"Although Pakistan has protested strongly against the drone strike, there is no guarantee of further drone attacks," the adviser further said.

"We pushed the American officials that there is a need to show patience as the years of conflict cannot be solved in few months," he opined.

Read the full story at Xinhua