Needless to say, this development bodes ill for the so-called alliance between the U.S. and Pakistan. It could be a tragic accident; however, several recent allegations of collaboration between Pakistani and Taliban forces on the border with Afghanistan raise questions about the circumstances of this incident, and about what NATO personnel thought they were dealing with at the time.
"Pakistan stops NATO supplies after raid kills up to 28," by Shams Mohmand for Reuters, November 26:
(Reuters) - NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military outposts in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing as many as 28 troops and plunging U.S.-Pakistan relations, already deeply frayed, further into crisis.
Pakistan retaliated by shutting down vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan, used for sending in just under a third of the alliance's supplies.
The attack is the worst single incident of its kind since Pakistan uneasily allied itself with Washington in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. targets.
Relations between the United States and Pakistan, its ally in the war on militancy, have been strained following the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces in a raid on the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May, which Pakistan called a flagrant violation of sovereignty.
A spokesman for NATO-led troops in Afghanistan confirmed that NATO aircraft had been called in to support troops in the area and had probably killed some Pakistani soldiers.
"Close air support was called in, in the development of the tactical situation, and it is what highly likely caused the Pakistan casualties," said General Carsten Jacobson, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
He added that he could not confirm the number of casualties, but ISAF is investigating the "tragic development."
"We are aware that Pakistani soldiers perished. We don't know the size, the magnitude," he said.
The Pakistani government and military brimmed with fury.
"This is an attack on Pakistan's sovereignty," said Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. "We will not let any harm come to Pakistan's sovereignty and solidarity."
The Foreign Office said it would take up the matter "in the strongest terms" with NATO and the United States.
The powerful Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, said in a statement issued by the Pakistani military that "all necessary steps be under taken for an effective response to this irresponsible act.
"A strong protest has been launched with NATO/ISAF in which it has been demanded that strong and urgent action be taken against those responsible for this aggression."
Two military officials said that up to 28 troops had been killed and 11 wounded in the attack on the outposts, about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the Afghan border. The Pakistani military said 24 troops were killed and 13 wounded.
It remains unclear what exactly happened, but the attack took place around 2 a.m. (2100 GMT) in the Baizai area of Mohmand, where Pakistani troops are fighting Taliban militants.
"Pakistani troops effectively responded immediately in self-defense to NATO/ISAF's aggression with all available weapons," the Pakistani military statement said.
The commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, General John R. Allen, said he had offered his condolences to the family of any Pakistani soldiers who "may have been killed or injured."
The U.S. embassy in Islamabad also offered condolences.
About 40 Pakistani army troops were stationed at the outposts, military sources said. Two officers were reported among the dead.
"The latest attack by NATO forces on our post will have serious repercussions as they without any reasons attacked on our post and killed soldiers asleep," said a senior Pakistani military officer, requesting anonymity.
Reflecting the confusion of war in an ill-defined border area, an Afghan border police official, Edrees Momand, said joint Afghan-NATO troops near the outpost on Saturday morning had detained several militants.
"I am not aware of the casualties on the other side of the border but those we have detained aren't Afghan Taliban," he said, implying they may have been Pakistani or other foreign national Taliban operating in Afghanistan....
Oh dear! Friendly fire, fog of war, etc ... It happens.
Now, what is Pakistan gonna do about the Haqqani network they've been giving aid and succour to?
Aw, boo hoo!
Sorry for the families affected by the tragedy but everyone else has to be perfect dontcha know, while Pakistan and every other IslamiStan gets a free pass for tolerating their own native radicalism, which is on the increase. It's all about "tolerance" dontcha know, i.e. Muslims on the receiving end of tolerance, only.
Sorry, Pakistan, but you know how it is trying to restrain those boys from Texas, Oklahoma,& Arkansas-it's a lawless tribal area much like your border with Afghanistan.
America is loseingt the war on terror. China will declare war on america it we invade Pakstand or any other hostile move by us.
We don't gain anything by pretending that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are true allies. They aren't. At best, they are playing both sides of the table. Treating them as friends in this global war is simply begging for a backstabbing.
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/06/deserve-victory.html
You're off your chump! :)
The Pakistanis may have been shooting at the NATO forces...
Who said anything about an invasion......We might just nuke it(pakistan).
You wrote
"We don't gain anything by pretending that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are true allies. They aren't. At best, they are playing both sides of the table. Treating them as friends in this global war is simply begging for a backstabbing."
This.
MUMBAI AND KARMA
What goes around comes around. On this day in 2008 the Pakistani backed terror bombings began in Mumbai which killed 154 innocent people and injured over 300. The Hindus call it Karma.
"DefenderofIslam" wrote:
America is loseingt the war on terror. China will declare war on america it we invade Pakstand or any other hostile move by us.
.................................
What do you mean here by "us"? You have proven many times that you stand with the vicious Ummah, and not with your fellow Americans or any other civilized peoples.
In addition, we have no plans to invade "Pakstand". In any case, don't be so sure that China—which has its own game to play, which does not include spreading your vile creed—will be so quick to have their own citizens die for Islam.
This strike was in responce to enemy movements and actions, and look who was right there. I wonder if any others were also there, like those who were the "true" target.
The fog of war would lift by a factor of ten if our "friends" were really just that, Germany would have never lost WW2 without the D-Day invasion, and Russia going in to remove the Nazis.
That World War lasted four years of United States action.
@sentinel - ha! good comment.
@ DoI - If you think China will go to war with the US over Pakistan, you've probably been taking to much of that Afghan heroin.
@salah - we have gained a little something by pretending the Paki's and Saudi's are our friends. But it is getting time to end our double game (and theirs) with the Paki's.
@Islofob - I'll bet dollars to donuts that we are going to hear in the coming days that the Paki's were firing on the Americans first. It's happened before.
While it is a tragedy for the families of the soldiers who died, from a macro level perspective, it is a very positive development. Anything that exposes the futility of American alliance with Pakistan is a good thing. An ultimate falling out and America committing itself to removing Pakistan's fangs (the nukes) will ultimately solve the terror problem and will be a critical step towards ultimate abolition of Islam.
Sanjay
BBC reported a special forces unit came under direct fire from two separate Pakistani outposts, verified by both NATO & Afghani soldiers. The unit radioed they were under attack & asked for permision to return fire, which was approved, the Pakistani soldiers were then killed. Sounds like the Pakistanis have been caught with their hand in the pie again. Personally I hope this escalates so that the US cuts all ties, stops the aid & takes out the nukes & the known terrorist supporters in the military. A lie can only be a lie for a certain amount of time, the US & Pakistan pretending to be friends is a lie.
You watch, the US (NATO) will be paying out big bucks to the families of those killed. Why were Pakistani soldiers there in the first place? Chances are they were allied with the terrorists and got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, the UN and US should not pay any money to the families nor should the pilots be held criminally responsible for the deaths of these soldiers. But you watch, both will probably happen.