PESHAWAR, Pakistan: In the latest US drone strike carried out in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern tribal regional on Saturday, at least nine militants affiliated with the Afghan Taliban were killed.
The sources said that the drone strike was conducted in the Shawal Valley in the North Waziristan tribal region.
They said that the drone fired two missile on a house in Zoya Saidgai area of Shawal Valley which resulted in the deaths of nine Afghan Taliban militants.
The United States continues to carry out drone strikes in Pakistan when its armed forces are engaged in fighting with the militant outfits in the tribal region. Therefore, Pakistan has consistently condemned such strikes saying that these are a clear violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan also demands an end to US drone strikes on its territory since its military has already been conducting an operation dubbed as ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ since June 2014 in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan with an objective to eradicate militancy from the country.
“We condemn such strikes which are a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalil Ullah said in a statement in Islamabad on May 18.
The spokesman said that these generate distrust among the local populace at a time when the military operation Zarb-e-Azb is moving ahead decisively and the focus of the government is shifting towards rehabilitation of the civilian population.
“We reiterate our call for a cessation of such strikes,” the spokesman added.
