Amid rising anti-American sentiments in Pakistan over covert US drone raids in the Asian country, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has admitted that Washington is fighting a war on Pakistani soil.
While the US government has always declined to publicly discuss its aerial attacks in Pakistan, Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that there are a lot of reasons for the US military operations in Pakistan, AFP reported.
The American military chief, who was also the previous CIA director, said Washington and Islamabad have a "complicated relationship" because of America's war in Pakistan. The US often carries out drone attacks on Pakistan's tribal regions, claiming that the militants are their target. But locals say civilians are the main victims of the non-UN-sanctioned US strikes. The issue of civilian casualties has strained the relations between Islamabad and Washington with the Pakistani government repeatedly objecting to the attacks. Attacks by unmanned American aircraft have left dozens of people dead in the volatile region over the past weeks. The aerial attacks, initiated by former US president George W. Bush, have been escalated under President Barack Obama. Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the attacks, insisting that they violate Pakistan's sovereignty.
The day will come that Pakistan tells the West to pack their bags and get out.
ReplyDeleteThen what ????
Exactly. The Pakistan conundrum is another bed of nails the US has manufactured for itself. There is no escape from it, either.
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