Pakistan is “seeking clarification” about a United States (US) drone strike against Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Sunday, after US officials said Mansour was likely killed in an air strike on Pakistani soil.
“I have seen the reports. We are seeking clarification,” Zakaria said in a statement.
He added that Pakistan wanted the Taliban to return to the negotiating table to end the long war in Afghanistan. “Military action is not a solution,” he added.
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Zakaria’s statement comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier on Sunday said that he notified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by telephone of a US drone strike that ‘likely killed’ Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour.
Afghan leadership was also apprised of the air strike ordered by US President Barack Obama, Kerry said, declining to elaborate on the timing of the notifications.
US officials in Washington said on Saturday that US missile-firing drones had conducted strikes targeting Mansour and probably killed him in a strike in Balochistan near the Afghan border.
READ MORE: John Kerry says Pakistan, Afghan leaders were notified of drone strike