Context
The US Defense Secretary admitted on Tuesday that the US ‘was fighting a war’ in Pakistan. The acknowledgement by the former CIA chief is in strong contrast with Washington’s refusal to publicly confirm operation in Pakistan. The US is believed to be carrying out covert maneuvers in the country with the help of drones. Use of unmanned aircrafts has risen in Northwest Pakistan during Obama’s administration, with 30 drone strikes reported in the country since May.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, while talking to audiences at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington also said the relationship between Pakistan and US was complicated, and the two countries disagreed over “the relations they maintain with some of the militant groups in that country.”
Pakistan and the US are at loggerheads over Washington’s demands for Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani network.
