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| India-Pakistan |
| More Details on Shooting of Pak Guards by U.S. Forces |
| 2003-08-12 |
| EFL U.S. forces in Afghanistan mistakenly killed two Pakistani border guards and wounded a third yesterday while pursuing several other individuals who had shot at U.S. Special Operations troops, American and Pakistani officials said yesterday. U.S. military authorities offered sketchy details about the incident, which Pakistan said took place at a border post in the tribal Waziristan region, 160 miles southwest of Islamabad, the capital. According to an account provided by a senior U.S. defense official, U.S. Special Operations forces on a morning patrol in the vicinity of Orgun in southeastern Afghanistan came under fire from a group of people, some of whom appeared to be in some kind of uniform while others were dressed in civilian garb. Thought it had to be something like this. Sounds like Pak troops were escorting the Taliban. Two AV-8 Harrier jets and two A-10 Warthog attack planes were called in to chase the enemy fighters, who were fleeing toward the Pakistani border, the official said. A Harrier dropped a 1,000-pound bomb and fired hundreds of 25mm rounds. The A-10s hit with rockets and shot 30mm rounds. Another military official said that preliminary reports from the field indicate the gunfire from one of the planes caused the Pakistani casualties. "The incident resulted in the unfortunate and unintended engagement of Pakistani security forces in the area," said a statement by the U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility for American military operations in the region. "The incident is currently under investigation." I’ll just bet it is. It was the second reported inadvertent clash between U.S. and Pakistani forces in the border area in the past year, but the first case in which U.S. forces were said to have fired on Pakistani troops in error. On Dec. 29, a Pakistani border guard shot and wounded a U.S. soldier, prompting a U.S. F-16 jet fighter to drop a 500-pound bomb on a nearby site where the shooter had hidden. The shooter was subsequently taken into custody. Pity the bomb wasn’t a little closer. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 Damn! I'm beginning to believe the United States is about eleven divisions too short of the personnel and equipment necessary to achieve "peace" in the Arab world. That doesn't look good for my nephew's retirement next month... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-12 1:15:29 PM |
| #2 More info from Gulf News: A senior Pakistani official said the U.S. forces mistook the patrol for Al Qaida or Taliban fighters. "It was due to some misunderstanding," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A statement from the Pakistani military's public relations department said a strong protest had been lodged with the U.S. authorities about the incident. "We have lodged a strong worded protest with the Americans over the happening. But we believe this was the result of mistake as the U.S. forces might have been following some unwanted elements in the area," a spokesman said in Peshawar. That's a pretty mild statement. Local tribesmen said the attack was the result of an assault on U.S. forces across the border in Paktika province of Afghanistan. The U.S. forces called for air cover soon after the attack, which led to the targeting of the Pakistani troops. Sources in the area said U.S. combat helicopters fired several missiles on the base of 69-Baloch Regiment and Shawal Rifles, a paramilitary force of the Pakistan armed forces in the Lwar Mandai area of the tribal belt at about 9.30.am local time. Paramilitary force, huh? That explains why some were in uniform and some weren't. Makes a nice cover for, er, stuff. In the ensuing shootout, they killed Muhammad Yamin and Khial Badshah on the spot while injuring three others including Lance Naik Amjad. Two injured troopers were shifted to the Agency headquarters hospital for treatment, where their condition is stable. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-8-12 12:40:50 PM |
| #1 Like I said, Pakistani troops only go patrolling at 5a.m. if they're helping the Taliban. Sounds like the Pakis never stopped supporting the Taliban. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-8-12 10:04:36 AM |