|
Pakistan: U.S. must not repeat airstrike
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-22 10:15
Pakistan's president told the United States it must not repeat airstrikes
like the one that killed civilians in a remote mountain village, as officials
sought to soothe public outrage over the incident.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's remarks Saturday were his first publicized
reaction to the January 13 strike on Damadola village, an attack that has
spurred nationwide protests against the United States in this Muslim-dominated
nation of 130 million people.
The strike apparently targeted, but missed, al-Qaida's No. 2 leader in the
mountainous region of Bajur. Pakistani officials believe the blast wiped out
four other top al-Qaida operatives, but also killed least 13 civilians,
including women and children.
On Saturday, Musharraf told visiting U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas
Burns that "what happened in Bajur must not be repeated," a Foreign Ministry
official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk on
the record.
Pakistan's independent GEO television reported that Musharraf also told Burns
his country is "fully capable of defending its frontiers" and that repeated
attacks could affect cooperation in the war on terror, in which Islamabad is a
top U.S. ally.
The Foreign Ministry official said, however, that Musharraf pledged to
continue backing the United States in anti-terror efforts.
Neither the ministry official nor the news report gave details about Burns'
response. U.S. Embassy spokesman Rakesh Surampudi said he was unable to comment
on whether Burns had discussed the attacks with Musharraf.
At a later meeting, Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri told Burns the attacks
were "counterproductive" given the "prevailing public sentiment" in Pakistan.
"While reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to counterterrorism, the foreign
minister underlined the need for the two countries to work in a manner that
precludes recent incidents like Bajur," the ministry said in a statement.
|
