US to eliminate terrorists targetting American soldiers

Washington The US has told Pakistan that while it respects its territorial integrity it will continue to conduct strikes to eliminate terrorists who target American soldiers a day after Islamabad summoned the US ambassador to express concern over the drone strike in Pakistan that killed Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar MansourMansour was engaged in specific actions specific things in real time that posed specific imminent threats to US and coalition forces in Afghanistan Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis saidThis was a defensive strike against an individual who was actively engaged in planning and conducting operation that were targeting US and Coalition personnel Davis said during a press conference yesterdayWhile the US has been conducting similar defensive strike inside Afghanistan this is probably for the first time thatthe US did a defensive strike inside Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin LadenThe strike targetting the Afghan Taliban supremo deep inside Pakistan was carried out on May 21 by multiple unmanned drones operated by US Special Operations forces while Mansour was travelling in a vehicle in a remote area in the restive Balochistan close to the Afghan border while apparently returning from IranMansour believed to be in his 50s had emerged as the successor to Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar whose 2013 death was only revealed last summerDavis however asserted that the drone strike has not strained ties with Pakistan despite Islamabad summoning US ambassador David Hale to express concern over the drone strike which it described as a violation of itssovereigntyResponding to questions on Pakistan hitting out at the US for the drone strike State Department Deputy pokesman Mark Toner said We certainly do respect Pakistans territorial integrity But as weve said before we will carry out strikes to remove terrorist who are activity pursuing and planning and directing attacks against US forcesDavis said the location of the strike required higher level of approvalUltimately this was an individual who was specifically targeting US and coalition personnel and had specificallyengaged in operations in the past that resulted in US and coalition personnel being killed he saidIn a subtle warning to the Taliban Toner said the strike sends a clear message that those who target Americans and Afghan people are not going to be given a safe haven And then also that it know that theres only one option for the Taliban and that is to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflictHe said the death of Mansour does not mean defeat of the Taliban but it does send a clear messageWhat I think it does send is a clear message If youre going to carry out attacks if youre going to lead attacksagainst our forces and against Afghanistans forces then you are going to be targeted and youre not going to have safe haven Toner told reporters at his daily news conferenceMeanwhile the New York Times also said that Mansours killing sent a powerful message to Pakistan which has for years denied harboring Taliban leaders and must now be asked how the terror groups leader was able to travel freely in its territoryThe fact that the top official of Afghanistans Taliban was able to travel freely through Pakistan and even into Iran contradicted years of denials by Pakistani officials that they were harboring Taliban leaders the report saidIt quoted Barnett Rubin a former senior State Department official as saying that Mansours death was unlikely to have a significant impact on the Taliban which can easily replace him but its effect could be far greater on Pakistans government which now must deal with the embarrassing circumstanceWe killed the leader of the Taliban driving across Baluchistan in a taxi I think we have some questions to askof Pakistan Rubin saidExperts also pointed out that Barack Obamas decision to target the Taliban leader suggested the US President had little patience for Pakistani sensitivitiesThe administration is no longer worried about blowing up anything said Vali Nasr a former State Department official who worked on Pakistan This is literally carrying out an operation not against an Arab terrorist leader but against a Pashtun ally of Pakistan inside Pakistani territoryThe report said that Pakistans military and intelligence establishment was said to favour Mansour as the groups new leader but the White House concluded he was a stubborn obstacle to reconciliation talks which have been paralysed for monthsThe US had told Pakistani authorities several weeks ago that Mansour was a target it quoted officials as saying and while the Pakistanis provided general information on his location and activities they did not provide specific details on his movementsThe report quoted a senior American defence official as saying that another factor in Pakistans decision to providesome limited help in tracking down Mansour may have been that one of his deputies Sirajuddin Haqqani has deep and longstanding ties to Pakistans main spy service ISIWhile the strike does not reflect a shift in American strategy toward Afghanistan it may have implications for howthe US deals with Pakistan the report addedDoes this amount to starting a twotrack approach working through Pakistan while using force to eliminateTaliban leaders who obstruct peace talks said Husain Haqqani Pakistans former ambassador to the USEither way it shows a diminishing of the Obama administrations already diminished trust in Pakistan