US agencies might lose drone bases in Afghanistan

© Photo: zhelezyaka.com

According to New York Times report that was published this Monday, American intelligence agencies could loose drone bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan unless Afghan President Hamid Karzai signs a security deal with the US. The deal is very controversial as it can affect the US security interests with Pakistan, which is Afghanistan’s neighbor.

A special team was already organized by the Obama’s administration to try to help the officials in the negotiating process. The team is also supposed to find alternatives in case their mission fails.

American officials have prepared the agreement last year. However, the Afghan president has underlined certain set of rules that the American side has to agree to in order for him to sign an agreement. First and foremost, the President is urging military to stop drone raids at nights during which hundred of civilians were left died.

Due to that, the US President Barack Obama has promised to withdraw all American troops from the country. But that means that the drone bases in Afghanistan would have to be closed as they won’t be protected by the US side anymore.

According to American intelligence agencies the alternative military bases are too far away for drones. Meanwhile, the Pakistan authorities have also expressed their concerns about the US drones killing civilians during the raids.

On Monday, the Pakistan Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the parliament that due to the US drone attack that took place in November the peace talks with Taliban have been derailed.  

He has also mentioned that previously, the peace talks were in their advanced stage but after the death of the Taliban chief, Hakimullah Mehsud during the drone attack, the peace talks practically came to an end.

According to him, the whole process was sabotaged by killing of Hakimullah Mehsud as part of the attack in North Waziristan tribal region.

Straight after that, several attempts were made to reach the new TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah who is currently in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, but without any success. 

The minister also added that despite the inability to reach the new TTP leader, there have been other attempts to re-establish the contacts with other groups in and out of the country and they showed certain success. But soon after that suicide attack on the security forces in the northwestern Bannu city everything came back to the starting point as Taliban had claimed guilty.  

During the attack 20 soldiers were killed and another 30 others were injured.

In the end of his speech, Interior Minister added:  "It is the decisive moment in history of the country and we will have to forge consensus for whatever strategy has to be adopted."

Voice of Russia, dawn.com, cihan.com.tr

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