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US defends Afghan border strike
The Pentagon has said an air strike by US forces in the Afghan-Pakistani border region, said to have killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, was legitimate. It said US forces had acted in self-defence after coming under attack in clashes with pro-Taleban militias. The US state department described the deaths as regrettable, and said there was a need for better communication. Pakistan's military said earlier that the soldiers had died as a result of an "unprovoked and cowardly act". The incident took place on Tuesday night at a border post in the mountainous Gora Prai region of Mohmand, one of Pakistan's tribal areas, across the border from Afghanistan's Kunar province. The US military confirmed that its forces based on the Afghan side of the border had launched artillery and air strikes after coming under fire from pro-Taleban forces. Eight Taleban militants were also killed in the clashes, a Taleban spokesman said. The incident comes at a time of tension between Pakistan and the US over how to deal with militants in border areas, the BBC's Kim Ghattas reports from Washington. A statement from coalition forces in Afghanistan made no reference to the Pakistani deaths "Every indication we have at this point is that this was indeed a legitimate strike in defence of our forces after they came under attack," spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters. While the US military greatly valued its relationship with its Pakistani ally, he added, US forces were "within their rights to take the action they took". Posted by: Fred 2008-06-12 |
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