ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday acknowledged "tactical advantages" to US drone strikes on the Taliban and al Qaeda, but appeared to shrug off the unexpected confirmation by Washington of attacks on its soil.
The remarks from Pakistan's foreign ministry came as President Barack Obama confirmed for the first time that drone aircraft had targeted militants in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border.
"Notwithstanding tactical advantages of drone strikes, we are of the firm view that these are unlawful, counterproductive and hence unacceptable," ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told AFP in a text message.
"Our view has always been very clear and position principled," he added.
When asked about drones in a chat with web users on Google+ and YouTube, Obama said "a lot of these strikes have been in the FATA" -- Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012
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