International News
Pakistan Air Force warns US against trespassing on its airspace, says it will shoot down any drones or UAVs
Pakistan has warned the US that any violation of the country’s airspace will be met with a stern response, and that it will not tolerate any further tresspassing. Pakistan Air Force Chief Marshal Sohail Aman said in a statement that any drone that flies over its airspace, including those owned by the US, will be shot down.
The announcement comes shortly after a US drone strike targeted the de facto border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on 30 November this year, killing three militants.
The report also mentions that the CIA has been responsible for all US drone strikes in Pakistan until November 2017. Each strike has been followed by a statement from the Pakistan foreign office, that said it won’t allow such strikes. Senior leadership of terror group as well as hundreds of civilians have been killed in these strikes.
As per a report on The Times of India, Pakistan has taken a strong stance over the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), saying other countries need to acknowledge its airspace, as also its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We will not allow anyone to violate our airspace. I have ordered PAF to shoot down drones, including those of the US,” Aman was quoted as saying in the report.
Pakistani Observer said Aman was addressing the opening ceremony of ‘AirTech 2017’ at Islamabad’s Air University on Thursday. “We suffered a lot of losses in the incident but did not lose our morale,” the report quoted Aman as saying.
The air chief also expressed grief over its “neighbours” trying to harm Pakistan. “Pakistan is unfortunate in the sense that our neighbours are trying to harm us,” he said. “We have continued the fight against extremism with unflinching vigour and resolve since then, transforming the PAF into a much stronger force.”
