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| Afghanistan |
| Pakistan's Ex-PM Thanks US, Afghan Forces For Son's Rescue |
| 2016-05-13 |
| "Wait'll you get the bill..." Former Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani says his son was released from Taliban captivity because of the "combined efforts" of U.S. and Afghan forces. "This combined operation was carried out by the American forces and the Afghanistan forces. My boy was recovered because of their combined efforts. I want to thank them because Ali Haider has been rescued after three years owing to their hard work." "Look, good news is very beneficial for our morale here in Pakistan. I believe that this is extremely good for our morale. But as far as our counter-terrorism policy is concerned, we have to look into that. Did this happen because of that? I do not know, but we do have to find out." Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani thanked American and Afghan forces on Wednesday for rescuing his son from Taliban captivity. Ali Haider Gilani was rescued on Monday by a joint force of Afghan and U.S. commandos who raided a house occupied by al-Qaeda militants in Paktika province, just across the border from Pakistan. He was kidnapped three years ago from his home town. "This combined operation was carried out by the American forces and the Afghanistan forces. My boy was recovered because of their combined efforts. I want to thank them because Ali Haider has been rescued after three years owing to their hard work," Gilani told reporters as he arrived in Lahore from Islamabad. Gilani was accompanied by Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and son of slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Gilani, a stalwart of the PPP, was prime minister from 2008 to 2012. Bilawal, who is a family friend of the Gilani family, said he and his sisters were elated by the news of Ali Haider's release, but was quick to add that further investigation was needed into Pakistan's counter-terrorism policy. Ali Haider Gilani was abducted in May 2013, outside an office of the PPP in his home town of Multan, two days before an election. He was flown home on a chartered aircraft sent from Pakistan earlier in the day. He was showered with rose petals as he got out of a vehicle outside the family home in the city of Lahore. His rescue occurred partly by chance, as Afghan and U.S special forces raided the suspected al-Qaeda compound. The force had an "inkling" a hostage was being held there but was not aware it was Gilani, said Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, spokesman for the NATO-led force. He said four al-Qaeda fighters were killed in the raid. Gilani was with his captors but was identified as a hostage after he did not try to resist. The rescue offered a rare moment of warmth and respite in long-running tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, which many in Afghanistan blame for fostering and sheltering Taliban leaders on their soil. |
| Posted by:badanov |