Islamabad, Pakistan. -U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Hoagland, was summoned today to the Foreign Ministry, where he was warned by officials that the U.S. drone strikes were crossing Pakistani red-lines.
The call came after reports that the second in command al Qaeda leader was struck in a recent Drone firing that also killed about 12 others. Reports by the Foreign Policy Magazine state that al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi may have been killed or injured in a drone strike in Pakistan on Monday. However, there are no reports confirming al-Libi's death.
In the past three days, U.S. launched three such strikes in the region of Northwest Pakistan on the Afghan border. Approximately 30 civilians were killed within this short span of time.
The Pakistani government has called the recent drone launches "unlawful, against international law and a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty," as reported by The Nation.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry told Ambassador Hoagland today that the drone strikes were "unacceptable" and a "serious concern ....in the Pakistani territory," as reported by The Nation.
Since the beginning of this year, a recorded 150 people have been killed over 20 drone strikes. The Pakistani government claims that the strikes are illegal according to the international law. However, the Obama administration according to Reuters does not see the increased drone strikes as violating international law or war law.
Furthermore Pakistani government claims to have found American diplomats in Pakistan possessing unauthorized weapons. Hoagland was told in the same summon today that "the carrying of unauthorized weapons by diplomats was unacceptable and contrary to both Pakistani law and accepted norms of diplomatic conduct," as reported by the Voice of America.
The Obama Administration's increased drone strikes have certainly further strained the America-Pakistan alliance, which has been deteriorating since the attack on Osama bin Laden. In an act of retaliation Pakistan closed down military supply routes within their territory to NATO troops.
