Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz says there is no evidence of an al-Qaida meeting in a village where 18 people were killed in a U.S. missile strike earlier this month.
In an interview with CNN television on Sunday, Mr. Aziz said at least 13 civilians died in the attack, which the United States reportedly intended for al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Mr. Aziz said it is highly unlikely al-Qaida leaders would have held such a meeting.
He also said U.S. authorities had not informed his government in advance of the January 13th attack on the remote village of Damadola, and denied that his government backed the strike.
The attack sparked anti-government and anti-U.S. protests across Pakistan.
Mr. Aziz is in Washington for talks with top U.S. officials, including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
In an interview with CNN television on Sunday, Mr. Aziz said at least 13 civilians died in the attack, which the United States reportedly intended for al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Mr. Aziz said it is highly unlikely al-Qaida leaders would have held such a meeting.
He also said U.S. authorities had not informed his government in advance of the January 13th attack on the remote village of Damadola, and denied that his government backed the strike.
The attack sparked anti-government and anti-U.S. protests across Pakistan.
Mr. Aziz is in Washington for talks with top U.S. officials, including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.