NATO hit kills Pakistan troops
Source: Agencies |
November 27, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PAKISTAN yesterday accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 26 soldiers, then retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
The incident on Friday night was a major blow to already strained relations between Islamabad and United States-led forces fighting in Afghanistan.
It comes a little over a year after a similar but less deadly strike, in which US helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border, whom the pilots mistook for insurgents. Pakistan responded by closing the Torkham border crossing to NATO supplies for 10 days until the US apologized.
Yesterday, Pakistan went further, closing both of the country's two border crossings into landlocked Afghanistan. NATO trucks about 30 percent of the non-lethal supplies used by its Afghan-based forces through Pakistan.
NATO said that it was investigating an "incident" along the border.
"My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured," said General John Allen, the top overall commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in a statement.
The incident on Friday night was a major blow to already strained relations between Islamabad and United States-led forces fighting in Afghanistan.
It comes a little over a year after a similar but less deadly strike, in which US helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border, whom the pilots mistook for insurgents. Pakistan responded by closing the Torkham border crossing to NATO supplies for 10 days until the US apologized.
Yesterday, Pakistan went further, closing both of the country's two border crossings into landlocked Afghanistan. NATO trucks about 30 percent of the non-lethal supplies used by its Afghan-based forces through Pakistan.
NATO said that it was investigating an "incident" along the border.
"My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured," said General John Allen, the top overall commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in a statement.
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