"We hope to continue to make progress in the relationship, and we continue to seek ways for our countries to cooperate on the entire range of shared interests that we have, from economic to security issues." Carney would not confirm the drone strike that killed Mehsud, in line with normal practice in such attacks, but he said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader had a long list of extremist credentials, including a failed bombing in Times Square, New York, in 2010.
Carney charged that Mehsud and other TPP leaders had "publicly vowed to continue targeting the United States and Americans." Mehsud was also wanted in connection with the killings of seven Americans at a US base in Khost province, Afghanistan. The suicide bomb attack was one of the CIA's deadliest days in decades, as five of the agency's anti-terror officers and two contractors were killed.