Report: Pakistan denies Taliban claim that the US used its airspace to kill an Al Qaeda leader
Report: Pakistan denies Taliban claim that the US used its airspace to kill an Al Qaeda leader
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Pakistan has denied the Taliban’s claim that Islamabad’s airspace was used in the July strike that killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The Taliban reacted after the Pakistani government allowed US drones to use its airspace.

Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Mullah Yaqoub, said on Sunday that the illegitimate use of drones to patrol the country’s airspace is a violation of the country’s borders.

According to Khaama Press, Mullah Yaqoub and the Chief of Staff of the Taliban’s military forces made the statement during a press conference on Sunday noon.

“Our information indicates that they (US drones) are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan, using Pakistani airspace,” Mr Mujahid told reporters when asked where the drones were coming from, according to the Dawn newspaper.

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During the press conference, the Taliban’s acting defence minister stated unequivocally that the US used Pakistani airspace to enter and attack Afghanistan.

Previously, US President Joe Biden announced in a live broadcast that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone attack in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

TTP, also known as Pakistan Taliban, recently raised alarm in Islamabad after reappearing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat valley.

A few months ago, Taliban militants reportedly occupied hilltops in Swat district’s Matta subdivision, causing panic in several neighbouring districts.

The unexpected appearance of the Taliban sparked outrage among the locals and harmed tourism on the day the Taliban were reported to have arrived in the valley.

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Talks between the two sides to find a political solution to the problem began in October 2021. The talks held at the request of the Afghan Taliban resulted in a one-month ceasefire in November. The truce, however, could not last long as disagreements arose.

The ongoing peace talks between the TTP and the Pakistan government have come to a halt after the outlawed group refused to back down from its demand that the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province be reversed.

There has been no progress on the question of the TTP putting down its weapons in the event of a peace agreement despite numerous negotiations between the two sides in recent weeks to resolve the impasse.

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