Pakistan says ‘all indicators’ confirm US drone killed Taliban leader

The Pakistani government said on Thursday that “all indicators” point to Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor having been killed in its territory on Saturday in a US drone strike, although official results from DNA tests are still being awaited.

“All indicators confirm that the person killed in the drone strike was Mullah Akhter Mansoor who was travelling on a fake identity” when he was attacked by a drone on Saturday in Balochistan province, said Sartaj Aziz, foreign advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, at a press conference in Islamabad.

However, he added, results of the DNA tests conducted on the body recovered from the site of attack are still being awaited.

The body remains to be officially identified by Islamabad, despite Kabul and Washington having confirmed Mansoor’s death four days ago, and Taliban acknowledging it on Wednesday.

Aziz said the body has still not been handed to the former Taliban leader’s family, but stressed that DNA results will be revealed “shortly.”

He also said the airstrike is bound to have a “negative” impact on the Afghan peace process, and on relations between Pakistan and the United States, both of which are part of the G4 group that seeks to put an end to the conflict in the country.

According to Aziz, there have been 390 USled drone attacks on Pakistani soil since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, mostly in the country’s insurgentrich Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

He added that Pakistan, which considers such actions a violation of its “sovereignty”, has spoken out “more” than usual over the latest drone attack as it took place outside FATA.

He said the country has even conveyed its “serious concern” to the United Nations.

Aziz was also critical of the US’ delay in informing Pakistani authorities about the attack, saying the army chief was informed “three or three and a half hours” after the drone strike, and the prime minister after “seven or seven and a half hours.”

Meanwhile, the chief of Pakistan’s Armed Forces, General Raheel Sharif, met the US Ambassador in Islamabad David Hale on Wednesday to express his “serious concern” over the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and harm to bilateral relations.

The G4 group has been unsuccessfully trying since last year to put an end to the conflict in Afghanistan, where a US antiterrorist mission has been underway since the country ended combat operations.

Pakistan is seen as a key player in the peace process due to its supposed influence over the Taliban.