This file photo taken on July 11, 2001 shows Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, commander-in-chief of the Kashmiri militant group Harakat-ul Jihad-i-Islami, addressing a press conference in Islamabad. — Photo by AFP

KABUL: The United States has had “no confirmation” that Pakistani al Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri died in a drone strike last week, a US defence official speaking on condition of anonymity said Monday.

“We have no confirmation that he's dead,” the official told AFP in Kabul on day three of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates's farewell visit to Afghanistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
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Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
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Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
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Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
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Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
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Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
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Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...