US drone attacks being operated in collaboration with Pak govt, GHQ: Holbrooke

KARACHI - US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has stated that drone attacks against terrorists in Pakistan’s northern tribal region are being carried out in close collaboration with Pakistan’s civil and military leadership.

“Everything we do, is in close collaboration with the Pakistan government and the GHQ,” The News quoted Holbrooke, as saying, referring to the string of drone attacks that has killed several Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives in recent years.

Holbrooke said that drone attacks helped improve the security environment “at a very minimal cost,” adding that Pakistan Army made major efforts against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but the US felt more could be done. However, he refused to elaborate what other actions Pakistan needed to take to counter terrorism.

Washington had been extensively working with Pakistan to boost its capabilities in war against terrorism, he noted, adding that Pakistan was the only country in the world with which the US had planned three rounds of strategic dialogue within six months- the first two rounds of talks were held in March and July, while the third planned in October.

Over a dozen militants were killed in a US drone attack yesterday in North Waziristan, the third in less than 24 hours in Pakistan’s areas close to Afghanistan, where such assaults had intensified killing more than 70 alleged militants in the last 15 days. (ANI)