Saudi population reaches 35.3 million in 2024, majority under 65    Makkah Deputy Emir leads washing of Holy Kaaba    Al-Jadaan: Economic transformation thrives on partnership    Saudi citizen and Yemeni resident convicted in perfume trade concealment case in Riyadh    GASTAT: Industrial Production Index rises by 1.5% in May    Saudi Arabia to introduce AI curriculum across all school levels starting 2025    At Geneva World Summit, Saudi Arabia highlights great strides in digital leadership    Saudi Arabia updates road code to support autonomous vehicles and smart mobility    Children queuing for supplements killed in Israeli strike in Gaza    North Korean defector to sue Kim Jong Un for abuse    Theo Hernández: Al Hilal can compete with Europe's best    Abdullah Al-Qaisoom wins silver at Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship    Aubameyang's future at Al Qadsiah in doubt after cryptic post comparing Saudi League strikers    SFDA approves 'Winrevair' for rare pulmonary hypertension treatment    Trump threatens 50% tariffs on Brazil if it doesn't stop the Bolsonaro 'witch hunt' trial    Trump praises 'good English' of Liberian president, prompting criticism across Africa    HONOR returns to Esports World Cup as Official Smartphone Partner for 2025 The renewed commitment will see HONOR elevate mobile esports competition with cutting-edge AI technologies and industry-leading hardware    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



US attacks strongly condemned in Pakistan
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 21 - 11 - 2008

Pakistan's government on Thursday condemned the latest US missile strike in its territory while a militant Taleban group warned that another drone attack would bring reprisals within the country.
Speaking in the parliament, Pakistani premier Yousuf Raza Gilani denounced the latest US spy drone attack which killed six people on Wednesday at Bannu district in northwest Pakistan, including a major Al-Qaeda operative.
“These attacks are adding to our problems. They are intolerable and we do not support them,” Gilani told the national assembly.
US spy drones have carried out more than 20 attacks in recent months but Wednesday's Bannu raid was the first outside the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan, known as a stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters.
The Washington Post newspaper reported early this week that the US and Pakistani governments have reached a tacit agreement on drone strikes within Pakistani territory, under which Islamabad allows them while continuing to complain about them and Washington never acknowledges them.
However, the prime minister told parliament there was no “understanding” with the US which permitted the missile attacks. “Being chief executive of this country I want to assure you that there is no understanding,” Gilani said.
But opposition MPs criticized the government in the parliament for failing to put pressure on Washington to stop violation of the country's territory.
“If we do not stop them, tomorrow they can attack Islamabad or Kahuta,” MP Ahsan Iqbal said, referring to the country's main nuclear facility outside the capital.
US envoy summoned
The foreign ministry also summoned Anne Patterson, the US ambassador to Islamabad, to lodge a strong protest over the air raids that have fuelled public anger, foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said in the capital.
Sadiq said the US diplomat was told that “continued drone attacks undermined public support for government counterterrorism efforts and stressed that these attacks must be stopped”.
“It was underscored to the US ambassador that such attacks were a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
Taleban leader vows revenge
Top Pakistani Taleban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur on Thursday warned of reprisals by militants across Pakistan if the US carried out any further drone attacks in tribal territory, a spokesman for the commander said..
Bahadur's group has been accused by the United States of launching attacks across the border in Afghanistan, but it abstains from violence in the Pakistani territory under an understanding with military authorities.
“We will start revenge attacks across other districts if the US drone attacks do not stop after November 20,” Taleban spokesman Ahmadullah Ahmadi said in a statement.
Meanwhile, addressing NATO's military committee in Brussels on Wednesday Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani also urged a halt to the use of unmanned “combat aerial vehicles within Pakistani territory”.
Kayani met NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and held meetings with Admiral Michael Mullen, U.S. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and a French defense chief.


Clic here to read the story from its source.