US Secretary of State pledges to end Pakistan drone strikes

US Secretary of State John Kerry has concluded a visit to Pakistan by pledging to end drone strikes against militants "very, very soon". CIA drone strikes have killed up to 3,460 people in Pakistan since 2004, and are highly controversial. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was elected in May, has consistently demanded an end to the attacks; saying they violate Pakistan's sovereignty. Pakistan is strategically important to the US, and its thought Mr Kerry's comments to take action to stop the strikes are an effort to ease anti-American resentment in the country. In a television interview, the secretary of state said: "I think the program will end as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it", adding "The President has a very real timeline and we hope its going to be very, very soon." On Thursday, Mr Kerry agreed to resume high-level security talks with Pakistani officials; the talks were stalled in 2011 after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed by the US on the Afghan border.