Drone attack inside Pakistan to continue, says US
CIA Director Leon Panetta has said that the US aerial attacks against al-Qaeda and other extremist strongholds inside Pakistan have been successful and would continue despite concerns about a popular Pakistani backlash.
He said the drone strikes have so far turned successful in accomplishing goals.
"Nothing has changed our efforts to go after terrorists, and nothing will change those efforts," Panetta said in response to questions about CIA missile attacks launched from unmanned Predator aircraft.
Although he refused to discuss details of the attacks, Panetta said the efforts begun under former president George W. Bush to destabilise al-Qaeda and destroy its leadership, which "have been successful".
"I don't think we can stop just at the effort to try to disrupt them. I think it has to be a continuing effort, because they aren't going to stop," Panetta said in his first news briefing since taking the job.
The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) has launched about three-dozen drone (pilotless aircraft) attacks in Pakistan, and two of them during President Barack Obama's administration, Geo TV reported Thursday.
Meanwhile, a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood claimed that he had asked Washington to let Islamabad handle the drone attacks on militant hideouts inside its territory, the United States has said that the issue of drone attacks was not discussed with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani.
Talking to mediapersons after holding talks with General Kayani, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said: "The issue of drone attacks inside Pakistan did not come under discussion during the meeting."
General Kayani also met the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Mike Mullen.
Mullen said that the talks helped US to understand the intricacies of the Swat peace deal.
Referring to the US training programme being carried out in Pakistan to train security forces against militants, Mullen said that there was nothing 'secret' in it as the 'Train the Trainers' programme was launched six months ago.
"The training of the Frontier Corps (FC) personnel by the US officials will improve the FC's capability to fight terrorism in the region," Mullen said.
General Kayani was also honored by the US Army Command and General Staff College, The Daily Times reports.
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