US denies drone strike in Kurram agency tribal region

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Islamabad, Jan. 25 (TNS): The United States on Thursday rejected Pakistan’s claim that American forces were behind a reported drone strike in northwestern Kurram agency tribal region near Afghanistan border, which killed two suspected militants on Jan. 24.

The U.S. Embassy Islamabad spokesperson, Rick Sinelsine, told local media group: “Pakistan’s claim that the U.S. forces have struck an Afghan refugee camp in Kurram agency is false.”

Sinelsine, however, did not elaborate if there was any drone strike in the region on that day.

Pakistan insists the drone strike took place in Kurram agency – one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan.

“The drone strike on Jan. 24 in Spintal, Hangu district, was on individual target who had morphed into Afghan refugees and not any organized terrorist sanctuary, which have been eliminated,” a statement from the Pakistani military’s mouthpiece — Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) — said on Thursday.

It added that “Pakistan’s brotherly hospitality to peaceful Afghan refugees must not be exploited by the terrorists.”

Islamabad already appears to be reluctant to increase the deadline for return of Afghan refugees despite requests from refugees themselves. And rights groups, which view the security situation in the war-ravaged country as non-conducive for the repatriation of over 2.5 million documented and undocumented refugees.

Already frosty relations between the U.S. and Pakistan — the two allies in so-called war against terrorism — have further nosedived since President Donald Trump assumed the office in January last year, mainly due to a clash of interests in war-ravaged Afghanistan.