Washington: US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Ambassador to Pakistan, Marc Grossman, has expressed regret over the civilian casualties in Pakistan, paving the way for resolving disagreements between the two allies after a drone strike in North Waziristan on March 17 killed several tribal elders.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Brussels Forum, titled ‘Bridging the Trust Deficit with Pakistan,’ along with UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox and journalist Ahmed Rashid, Grossman insisted that the object of the US mission in Afghanistan and its cooperation with Pakistan was “protecting people and improving their lives.”
According to the Daily Times, he also said that “when civilians are killed, we regret it. We deeply regret it.”
When asked about civilian casualties from the done strike, he stressed that he could not go into specific operations, reflecting the US policy of avoiding public discussion of drone strikes.
“If the object is for protecting people and improving their lives, that is a worthwhile endeavour,” Grossman added.
ANI
