US claims Pakistan is allowing use of its airspace

WASHINGTON: Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, has claimed that Pakistan is allowing the use of its airspace.

Colin Kahl told the Senate committee in a briefing that Pakistan was continuing to give the United States access to its airspace and the two sides were discussing keeping those accesses open.

According to international media, US Under Secretary of Defense Policy Colin Kahl gave an important briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Afghanistan and South and Central Asian countries, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Senate Committee Chairman Jack Reed, citing recent media reports on Pakistan’s operations against ISIS with the Taliban, asked to update the panel on talks with Pakistan, which Dr. Colin Kahl asked. He said that Pakistan has a challenging role to play in Afghanistan.

Kahl added that the use of Afghan territory against any country, including Pakistan, is not in anyone’s interest and no one is in favor of it. On the occasion, Dr. Colin Kahl also disclosed that Pakistan has been giving us access to its airspace and the two countries are discussing to continue this access.

Earlier, US officials had claimed that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace, but the country had rejected the claim as baseless.