Pakistan says IEA’s claim of US drone operations is ‘highly regrettable’

Responding to a claim by the Afghan minister of defense of the US using Pakistan’s airspace for drone operations, Pakistan said late Sunday it was “highly regrettable”.

According to a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Islamabad has noted with deep concern the allegation by Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoub regarding the use of Pakistan’s airspace in a US counter-terrorism drone operation in Afghanistan.

“In the absence of any evidence, as acknowledged by the Afghan minister himself, such conjectural allegations are highly regrettable and defy the norms of responsible diplomatic conduct,” said the ministry.

On Sunday, Yaqoub said Afghan authorities suspected US drones flying over Afghanistan were coming from Pakistan.

This comes after US President Joe Biden claimed last month that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a US drone strike in Kabul.

Pakistan however said in its statement that it reaffirms its belief in the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states and condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

“We urge the Afghan interim authorities to ensure the fulfillment of international commitments made by Afghanistan not to allow the use of its territory for terrorism against any country,” it said.

However, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has said if al-Zawahiri had been in Kabul as claimed by the US, they were unaware of this and are conducting an investigation into the allegations.