MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2021) Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday that the Central Asian country would not allow the United States to operate a military base on its soil.
"Search for bases could be their wish. There's no question of giving them bases, we have to see our interest," he told Geo news in an interview.
US media said on Sunday that American officials were in talks with Pakistanis to secure bases close to Afghanistan for future operations. The CIA had used a base in Pakistan to execute drone strikes against militants but was expelled in 2011 as bilateral relations soured.
A Defense Department spokesperson has confirmed to Sputnik that the country is pursuing basing options with Afghanistan's neighbors.
The US is to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11. Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said on Monday that the US military had completed roughly half of its withdrawal.
