Secretary of State John Kerry said in Pakistan on Thursday that the country wouldn’t have much longer to wait before U.S. drone strikes come to a halt.
Mr. Kerry was in the country to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to strengthen diplomatic ties. And after that meeting, he emerged and told reporters the two nations had re-established a “full partnership,” including an agreement to soon end America’s controversial drone strikes, Reuters reported.
The U.S. would likely end drone strikes “very, very soon,” Mr. Kerry told Pakistanis, after the meeting. In a followup television interview, Mr. Kerry said, “I think the program will end, as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it,” Reuters reported.
He also said, Reuters reported: “I think the president has a very real timeline, and we hope it’s going to be very, very soon.”
His comments followed those of President Obama’s in May, when he confirmed the need for drone strikes in “the Afghan war theater” was decreasing.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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