Taliban claims Pakistan has permitted US drones to fly over Afghan airspace

• Taliban’s acting defence minister says Pakistan allowed US drones to use its airspace.
• Pakistan has denied involvement in or knowledge of a drone strike that killed an al-Qaeda leader.
• The United States said it carried out an attack in Kabul using two missiles last month.

In response to a US airstrike on Kabul, Pakistan has lately refuted the Taliban’s accusation that it permitted American drones to enter Afghanistan through its airspace.

At a press briefing in Kabul on Sunday, acting defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob informed the media that American drones have been infiltrating Afghanistan through Pakistan.

According to our intelligence, drones are flying into Afghanistan from Pakistan and using its airspace. We request Pakistan not to utilise its airspace against us. An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the commander of al-Qaeda, was allegedly killed in a drone hit in Kabul in July, according to the United States. Pakistani authorities have denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the attack.

Al-family Zawahiri’s was discovered in Kabul early this year by intelligence. Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian physician with a $25 million bounty on his head, assisted in planning the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, which resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 people.

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Earlier, under the condition of anonymity, US sources told reporters that the CIA used two missiles in a drone attack on Kabul.

Yaqoob’s remarks could increase hostility between the two countries at a time when the Taliban is serving as a mediator in negotiations between the Pakistani government and the Pakistan Taliban, also known as the TTP.

Due to its economic woes, Afghanistan also largely relies on trade with Pakistan.

The body of the al-Qaeda chief has not been located, according to the Taliban, which claimed to be looking into the July airstrike.

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