NATO air strike wounds 2 in Pakistan
Source: Agencies |
May 18, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NATO helicopters from Afghanistan intruded into northwest Pakistan yesterday, wounding two soldiers, officials said, prompting a protest from the military already seething over the secret US operation to kill Osama bin Laden.
The Pakistani Army said it had lodged a "strong protest" and sought a flag meeting with NATO commanders over the incursion in Pakistan's North Waziristan near the Afghan border which has been repeatedly targeted by US drone aircraft as a hub of al-Qaida linked militants.
A Western military official in Kabul, however, said two NATO helicopters supporting a base in eastern Afghanistan had returned fire after being attacked from Pakistan, but declined to say whether they had crossed into Pakistani airspace.
The incident is certain to weigh on relations between the US and Pakistan after the May 2 raid on Abbottabad that killed bin Laden. Pakistan's parliament has condemned the operation as a violation of the nation's sovereignty.
A Pakistan government official said two NATO helicopters crossed into North Waziristan and remained for about 10 minutes in the area, known to be a hub for fighters linked to al-Qaida.
The helicopters retreated after Pakistani border forces opened fire in the Datta Khel area about 40 kilometers west of the main town of Miranshah, a security official said.
"A shell struck a mountain nearby and two of our soldiers were wounded by the rubble," the official said.
The Pakistani Army said it had lodged a "strong protest" and sought a flag meeting with NATO commanders over the incursion in Pakistan's North Waziristan near the Afghan border which has been repeatedly targeted by US drone aircraft as a hub of al-Qaida linked militants.
A Western military official in Kabul, however, said two NATO helicopters supporting a base in eastern Afghanistan had returned fire after being attacked from Pakistan, but declined to say whether they had crossed into Pakistani airspace.
The incident is certain to weigh on relations between the US and Pakistan after the May 2 raid on Abbottabad that killed bin Laden. Pakistan's parliament has condemned the operation as a violation of the nation's sovereignty.
A Pakistan government official said two NATO helicopters crossed into North Waziristan and remained for about 10 minutes in the area, known to be a hub for fighters linked to al-Qaida.
The helicopters retreated after Pakistani border forces opened fire in the Datta Khel area about 40 kilometers west of the main town of Miranshah, a security official said.
"A shell struck a mountain nearby and two of our soldiers were wounded by the rubble," the official said.
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