UAV strikes in Pakistan 'will continue', says US defence secretary

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to strike Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets inside Pakistani territory will continue under the administration of President Barack Obama. Gates provided rare acknowledgement of the controversial tactic - about which US officials tend not to comment - when giving evidence before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 27 January

[first posted to http://jdw.janes.com - 29 January 2009]