U.S. Said To Curtail Drone Strikes In Pakistan As Officials There Seek Peace Talks With Taliban -- Washington Post
The Obama administration has sharply curtailed drone strikes in Pakistan after a request from the government there for restraint as it pursues peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, according to U.S. officials.
“That’s what they asked for, and we didn’t tell them no,” one U.S. official said. The administration indicated that it will still carry out strikes against senior al-Qaeda targets, if they become available, and move to thwart any direct, imminent threat to U.S. persons.
Concern about Pakistani political sensitivities provides one explanation for the absence of strikes since December, the longest pause in the CIA’s drone campaign since a six-week lull in 2011, after an errant U.S. air assault killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post, triggering a diplomatic crisis.
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Update #1: U.S. sharply curtails drone strikes in Pakistan -report -- Reuters
Update #2: Pakistan asked US to downsize drone strikes amid Taliban peace talks - report -- RT
My Comment: I guess that explains why there were no US drone strikes in Pakistan in January.
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