Pakistani troops bombed for two hours despite plea to stop
Source: Agencies |
November 29, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers lasted almost two hours and continued even after commanders at the bases pleaded with coalition forces to stop, Pakistan's military claimed yesterday, charges that could further inflame anger in Pakistan.
NATO has described the incident as "tragic and unintended" and has promised a full investigation.
Unnamed Afghan officials have said that Afghan commandos and US special forces were conducting a mission on the Afghan side of the border and took incoming fire from the direction of the Pakistani posts. They responded with airstrikes.
Ties between Pakistan and the US were already de-teriorating before the attack and have sunk to new lows since.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the Pakistani troops at two border posts were the victims of unprovoked aggression.
He said the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders contacted NATO counterparts while it was going on, asking that "they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued."
Pakistan's army has previously said its soldiers retaliated "with all weapons available" to the attack.
Saturday's strikes added to popular anger in Pakistan against the US-led coalition presence in Afghanistan. Many in the army, parliament, the general population and the media believe the US and NATO are hostile to Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are not the enemy.
"Whoever is a friend of America is a traitor to the land," about 400 members of Jamaat-e-Dawa, an alleged front group for the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba organization, chanted in a demonstration in Karachi, the country's biggest city.
Abbas dismissed Afghanistan's claims that the joint Afghan-NATO troops were fired on first.
"At this point, NATO and Afghanistan are trying to wriggle out of the situation by offering excuses," he said. "Where are their casualties?"
Abbas said the two military posts, named "Volcano" and "Golden," were on a ridge in Mohmand region about 300 meters from the border with Afghanistan. He said their exact location had been provided to NATO and the area had recently been cleared of militants.
Hours after the attack last Saturday, Pakistan closed its western border to trucks delivering supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan, demanded the US abandon an air base in Pakistan used to operate drone strikes, and said it will review its cooperation with the US and NATO.
NATO has fired on friendly forces, civilians and even a diplomatic mission in conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya and Serbia.
During the 1999 bombing of Serbia, NATO jets hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese reporters.
Canadian and British troops were killed in "friendly fire" incidents involving NATO airpower in Afghanistan.
And in Libya, NATO reportedly bombed opposition fighters at least twice during the seven-month campaign.
NATO has described the incident as "tragic and unintended" and has promised a full investigation.
Unnamed Afghan officials have said that Afghan commandos and US special forces were conducting a mission on the Afghan side of the border and took incoming fire from the direction of the Pakistani posts. They responded with airstrikes.
Ties between Pakistan and the US were already de-teriorating before the attack and have sunk to new lows since.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the Pakistani troops at two border posts were the victims of unprovoked aggression.
He said the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders contacted NATO counterparts while it was going on, asking that "they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued."
Pakistan's army has previously said its soldiers retaliated "with all weapons available" to the attack.
Saturday's strikes added to popular anger in Pakistan against the US-led coalition presence in Afghanistan. Many in the army, parliament, the general population and the media believe the US and NATO are hostile to Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are not the enemy.
"Whoever is a friend of America is a traitor to the land," about 400 members of Jamaat-e-Dawa, an alleged front group for the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba organization, chanted in a demonstration in Karachi, the country's biggest city.
Abbas dismissed Afghanistan's claims that the joint Afghan-NATO troops were fired on first.
"At this point, NATO and Afghanistan are trying to wriggle out of the situation by offering excuses," he said. "Where are their casualties?"
Abbas said the two military posts, named "Volcano" and "Golden," were on a ridge in Mohmand region about 300 meters from the border with Afghanistan. He said their exact location had been provided to NATO and the area had recently been cleared of militants.
Hours after the attack last Saturday, Pakistan closed its western border to trucks delivering supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan, demanded the US abandon an air base in Pakistan used to operate drone strikes, and said it will review its cooperation with the US and NATO.
NATO has fired on friendly forces, civilians and even a diplomatic mission in conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya and Serbia.
During the 1999 bombing of Serbia, NATO jets hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese reporters.
Canadian and British troops were killed in "friendly fire" incidents involving NATO airpower in Afghanistan.
And in Libya, NATO reportedly bombed opposition fighters at least twice during the seven-month campaign.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
