Pakistan confirms Mullah Mansour’s death in drone strike
- By Web Desk -
- May 26, 2016
After a delay of five days, the news has now been confirmed by Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz.
“We have been carefully evaluating all the information that we had and we are now confirming that the person killed in the US drone strike was Mullah Mansour, who was carrying fake travelling documents with him,” said Sartaj Aziz.
Read: Afghan Taliban appoint new leader after Mansour’s death
While giving more details into the matter at the foreign office in the federal capital, Sartaj Aziz said the body of Mullah Mansour has not been handed over to anyone and that they are waiting to get the DNA test report.
The adviser on foreign affairs was of the view that the United States action has undermined the Afghan peace process once again because the slain Taliban Chief was not against talks.
Condemning the repeated US drone strikes on Pakistan’s territory, Aziz said the latest strike was another attack in Pakistan’s sovereignty. He said that till date, at least three hundred and ninety drone attacks have been reported on Pakistan’s soil.
Read more: Drone strikes in Pakistan are detrimental to Pak-US relations: Gen Sharif
“We believe that peace talks are the only solution to the growing conflict in Afghanistan. A four-nation group will continue to work for the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan,” stressed Aziz.
Referring to the war against terror, Sartaj Aziz said that more than 60,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives in the war so far while the country had to face an inflicted loss of $110 billion as compared to which Pakistan was not getting sufficient aid from the United States.
On 21st May, Mullah Mansour was killed in a targeted drone strike when he crossed into Pakistan from Iran in Noshki district of Balochistan. Pakistan has termed the strike as a violation of its sovereignty, saying his killing would obstruct peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan. The Obama administration has termed the decision to target Mansour in Pakistan as a case of self-defence.