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Seven US, Pakistani soldiers hurt in firing on helicopter
Three US soldiers and their four Pakistani counterparts were injured when their helicopter received hostile fire near Dera Bugti in Balochistan. The helicopter was fired upon by automatic weapons, most likely by AK-47 assault rifles when it was on a reconnaissance mission in Dera Bugti region. Although the sources were tight-lipped about their mission, it is believed that the military officials of Pakistan and United States were combing the area to find possible hideouts of Osama Bin Laden. The helicopter returned to Jacobabad airbase where it made a crash landing. The sources said the injured US soldiers were later shifted to Oman for further treatment. Four Pakistani army personnel, who were also injured, were evacuated to Quetta for medical treatment. One of the injured Pakistanis was an army colonel, the officials said. Dera Bugti, a tribal region of Balochistan, is currently tense as the federal government is contemplating a military operation in the area to punish the tribesmen for their violent protests against the exploitation of their gas reserves. The tribesmen had blown up the main gas pipeline supplying the gas to upcountry in protest against the failure of government and the gas companies to honour the agreement with the local tribes that guaranteed jobs and basic civic amenities to the local people. Since the federal government is getting ready for a military operation against the local tribes, the presence of the military helicopter in the area would have alarmed the local people prompting them to shot it down.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-04-20 |
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