United States must exercise restraint on drone strikes at a time when attempts are underway to revive Afghan-Taliban peace talks: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif
PESHAWAR Oct 17 (TNS): Another drone attack, the second in two days, was reported near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border near Kurram Agency on Tuesday.
The drone fired two missiles at a house in Kuch Khurram, Afghanistan, sources said, adding that casualties were feared.
Clouds of smoke could be seen rising out of the site of the attack, sources added.
At least 20 people were believed killed and 10 injured in a drone attack near the same area on Monday. Six missile strikes were reported to have been carried out.
Following the strike, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said that the United States should not conduct any drone strikes in either Afghanistan or Pakistan at a time when Afghan peace talks have resumed.
Khawaja Asif also expressed hope that the four-nation moot in Muscat, Oman to find ways of reviving peace talks with Afghan Taliban militants would yield positive results.
Foreign Minister has called on the United States to exercise restraint on drone strikes at a time when attempts are underway to revive Afghan-Taliban peace talks.
He expressed hope that the four-nation moot in Muscat, Oman to find ways of reviving peace talks with Afghan Taliban militants would yield positive results.
“But the US should show restraint on drone strikes anywhere in Afghanistan, or Pakistan,” he said.
Asif said the US is not providing any aid. “We want relations with US based on equality,” he reiterated.
Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and the United States met in Oman on Monday to try to revive Afghan-Taliban peace settlement. The four-nation Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QGC) — which last met in Islamabad early last year, has been trying to ease the path to direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
But it was not clear if any Afghan Taliban had joined the talks, which have so far failed to restart a tentative process that collapsed in 2015.
The Pakistani delegation is being led by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.
