The U.S. will continue to use the Shamsi pakistan air base

WASHINGTON - The United States plans to keep using the airstrip in Pakistan to control unmanned aircraft flight in order to 'monitor' the Afghan border, although Pakistani authorities have requested that Washington vacate the base, three U.S. officials said, quoted by Reuters on Wednesday (6 / 7 / 2011).

Runway at Shamsi, located in Balochistan will continue to be used for some operations reconnaissance aircraft, while the CIA, in charge of this mission, already use the facilities in Afghanistan to launch a drone aircraft against a number of targets across the border in Pakistan.

"These facilities remain fully operational and supporting U.S. counterterrorism operations in Pakistan," said one official told Reuters.

But the official added: "If, for whatever reason, the base was no longer available, there are certainly other ways to continue our programs and to maintain intense pressure on al Qaeda and its allies."

U.S. officials said the CIA and Pakistani personnel remain stationed in Shamsi.