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Pakistani PM Denies Reports Al-Qaida Operatives Died in U.S. Airstrike

Posted on: Saturday, 21 January 2006, 09:00 CST

Pakistani PM denies reports al-Qaida operatives died in U.S. airstrike

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday denied reports that al-Qaida operatives were among those killed in last week's U.S. airstrike on a tribal village bordering Afghanistan.

"As of an hour ago, when I last checked with security agencies combing the area, they have not found any tangible evidence that a particular group or any individual was there," Aziz told reporters after meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the UN headquarters in New York.

Earlier media reports said several al-Qaida members, including an explosives expert of the terrorist group, were killed in the U.S. airstrike, which left 18 civilians dead.

Aziz reiterated that his government condemned the U.S. airstrike, which has sparked massive protests in many Pakistani cities. He said he would mention the issue when meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington next week.

But the Pakistani prime minister pledged his country's firm support for the U.S. campaign against terrorists. "Pakistan is totally committed to fighting war against terrorism and we're doing it out of conviction," he noted.

"As regards the relations between Pakistan and the United States, or our conviction about fighting terrorism, there is no question that Pakistan is one of the countries which has done the most because we believe terrorism is no solution to any problems," he added.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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