The Taliban’s Minister of Defence said yesterday, Sunday, that Pakistan had allowed US unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to use its airspace to enter Afghanistan, a charge recently denied by Pakistan after a US airstrike in Kabul.

Specifically, the  Minister of Defence, Mullah Mohammad Yaqub, told reporters at a press conference in Kabul that, according to their information, the UAVs are entering Afghanistan through Pakistan, using Pakistan’s airspace, and therefore, they are asking Pakistan not to use its airspace against them.

Pakistani authorities have denied involvement or prior knowledge of a drone strike the United States said it launched against Kabul in July, which killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

Yaqub’s comments could exacerbate tensions between the two neighboring countries at a time when the Afghan Taliban are brokering talks between Pakistan and a Pakistani Taliban militant group. 

Afghanistan is also heavily dependent on trade with Pakistan, as the country is going through an economic crisis.

The Taliban said they were investigating the July airstrike and had not found the al-Qaeda leader’s body.

Source: CNN Greece

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