- The Pakistan Air Force said it will shoot down any drone in its airspace including those of the United States
- Announcement comes weeks after a US drone strike targeted a terrorist compound in the country’s tribal region near the Afghan border
- Previous aerial attacks attracted warnings and condemnation
- However this is the first time Pakistan has threatened to shoot down drones
The Chief of Pakistan Air Force Marshal Sohail Aman has said that his force could shoot down any drone which violates the country’s airspace including American
The head of the Pakistan Air Force has has ordered his force to shoot down drones that enter the country’s airspace including ones belonging to the U.S.
The orders from Chief Sohail Aman are a complete turnaround from the air force’s previous position in which it condemned drone strikes on its soil but had never threatened to shoot the unmanned aerial vehicles down.
The announcement was made public about two weeks after a US drone strike targeted a militant compound in Pakistan’s tribal region near the Afghan border, killing three militants, The Times Of India reported.
‘We will not allow anyone to violate our airspace.
‘I have ordered PAF to shoot down drones, including those of the US, if they enter our airspace, violating the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman told an audience in Islamabad.
This announcement comes weeks after a US drone strike targeted a terrorist compound in Pakistan’s tribal region near the Afghanistan border, slaying three militants
The comment was all the more surprising given that the U.S. is supposedly a close ally of Pakistan with it’s own military often complicit in allowing American led missile strikes on militant positions which have been occurring since 2004.
Yet, after each drone strike, the Pakistan foreign office has issued statements condemning the actions stating they will not tolerate strikes on its territory.
This time the Pakistan administration appears to be talking tough by taking a firm line over future drone strikes in its country
It’s believed that senior members of terrorist groups have been killed in such attacks but that hundreds of civilians, including women and children and also been killed as well.
There has been no response so far from the White House.
The Chief of Pakistan Air Force has said that his forces will shoot down all drones no matter their country