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1st LD Writethru: Pakistan confirms two killed in U.S. drone strike, but remains vague about Mullah Mansoor's death

Xinhua, May 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Pakistan on Sunday confirmed that two people were killed in a Saturday U.S. drone strike in its remote area along the Pak-Afghan border, but remained vague about the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansoors death in the strike.

A statement issued by Pakistan's Foreign Office said that the United States informed the Pakistani Prime Minister and the Pakistani Army Chief about the drone strike late Saturday after the strike was carried out in Pakistan near the Pak-Afghan border area.

It confirmed two people were killed in the strike. However, the statement did not say the two killed include Mullah Mansoor.

"On late Saturday 21st May, 2016, the United States shared information that a drone strike was carried out in Pakistan near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, in which reportedly the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was targeted," said the statement.

A driver named Muhammad Azam and a man named Wali Muhammad were killed in the strike, said the statement, adding that the identity of the driver has been confirmed and his body has been collected by his relatives while the identity of the second body is still being verified.

According to the statement, the man named Wali Muhammad carried a Pakistani passport and an ID card showing he is a resident of Qilla Abdullah, a district in Balochistan province where the U.S. launched in the strike.

He entered Pakistan from Iran through the border city of Taftan on Saturday with a valid Iranian visa on his passport. He was traveling on a vehicle hired from a transport company in Taftan. This vehicle was found destroyed at Kochaki along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, said the statement.

Shortly after the statement was issued by Pakistan Foreign Office, local media quoted Paksitan Interior Ministry as saying that the passport carried by Wali Muhammad was fake and the ministry had formed a five-member team to investigate into the issue as from where he got the fake passport.

Local media reported that the picture of the man carrying the fake passport had a great resemblance with Mullah Mansoor.

According to local media's reports, the Pakistani government is facing problem to get DNA samples from someone of Mullah Mansoor's family to identify the body of Wali Muhammad and once the DNA samples of Mullah Mansoors relatives are obtained, the test will be conducted either in Islamabad or in Karachi.

In the statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office also protested against the U.S. drone strike on its territory as it had violated its sovereignty. It also called on the Taliban to give up violence and join the peace talks. Endit