Islamabad, Dec 11: The Pakistani military will shoot down any US drone that intrudes the country's airspace under a new defense policy in which troops have been given greater liberty to respond to incursions by NATO and allied forces in Afghanistan, reports said.
"Any object entering into our airspace, including US drones, will be treated as hostile and be shot down," a senior unnamed Pakistani military official was quoted as saying by NBC News. The defense policy was changed after a NATO air strike on two military border posts killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26.
Following the air strike, Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani issued a communique that gave troops in the field full liberty to respond to any future attacks without consulting their superiors.
Kayani issued multiple directives since the November 26 attack, including orders to shoot down US drones, senior military officials said.
President Barack Obama stepped up the drone campaign after he assumed power. US officials say the drone strikes produced major successes in decimating the central leadership of al-Qaeda. Since 2004, US drones have carried out more than 300 attacks inside Pakistan.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST