A NATO air attack on a Pakistani check point at the Afghan border killed up to 28 Pakistani troops. In retaliation Pakistan has shut down the transport of some supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan. The exact number killed is still not confirmed. A number of troops were wounded as well.
Pakistani officials told reporters that NATO helicopters "carried out unprovoked and indiscriminate firing." The Pakistani Prime Minister Raza Gilani condemned the attack. He said that the matter was being taken up with NATO and the U.S.
General John Allen the leader of NATO forces in Afghanistan expressed condolences to the families of any troops who may have been killed or injured. However, another spokesperson said that there was an ongoing investigation of the incident and it was not clear yet that there had been any deaths or injuries. Statements such as that are probably counter productive. They suggest that Pakistani on the scene reports cannot be trusted. While the exact number of those killed may be in doubt, surely there is little doubt there were deaths. If there were no deaths or injuries why would John Allen express his condolences?
Colonel Gary Kolb another NATO spokesperson said that the helicopters were responding to small arms fire. However the attack took place over a mile and a half into Pakistan at a clearly marked checkpoint. Relations between the U.S. and Pakistan are already strained after the U.S. carried out an attack that killed Bin Laden without notifying Pakistan beforehand. The Pakistani government also passed a resolution demanding that drone attacks stop but the U.S. simply paid no attention. For more seethis article.
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