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India-Pakistan
U.S.: Taliban was the target
2008-06-13
U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan disputed PakistanÂ’s version of an aerial attack in the frontier area that killed 11 security personnel and wounded 13 others.

The U.S. released a video to prove the aerial strike was in self-defence, and aimed at Taliban militants who were firing on coalition troops on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. A spokesman for the coalition forces said the attack was carried out in “coordination” with the Pakistan Army.

The attack angered Pakistan, which described it as “unprovoked” and called it an “act of aggression” against its sovereignty. The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Army condemned the attack saying it would undermine cooperation with the coalition forces.

The Army said TuesdayÂ’s attack in the Mohmand Agency was aimed at a check-post manned by the Mohmand Rifles, a unit of the Frontier Corps.

Ambassador summoned
The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson to register protest. In a statement, the U.S. embassy expressed “regrets that actions in Mohmand Agency on June 10 resulted in the reported casualties among Pakistani forces, who are our partners in the fight against terrorism.”

But a statement from the coalition forces said its troops were attacked by militants during the course of an operation in Kunar Province. The unmanned drone’s video footage supported the American version. It showed a group of men, identified by a voice-over as “anti-Afghan militants,” firing from the top of a ridge.

Coalition forces are not seen in the video. The voice-over said the troops were on a reconnaissance mission when they came under fire from the militants.

The video, posted on the BBC website, showed the men moving back and forth between the ridge and positions that the voice-over said are inside Pakistan. About a dozen bombs were dropped on the positions, killing all militants, the voice-over said.
Posted by:Fred

#8  Unless an alternative logistics route into Afghanistan comes about, we're stuck with Pakistan, Perv or no Perv.
Posted by: Pappy   2008-06-13 12:42  

#7  Maybe when Perv moves to London we can drop the pretense that Pakistan is our ally.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2008-06-13 12:30  

#6  "About a dozen bombs were dropped on the positions, killing all militants, the voice-over said."

There will be no habeas corpus for you!
Posted by: DepotGuy   2008-06-13 11:19  

#5  Do the Punjabis and Sindhs really want to support the Pashtun Liberation Front? Seriously?
Posted by: Caesar Ebbaviger1593   2008-06-13 10:59  

#4  You don't want us to bomb your side of the border, keep it secure and people from firing at us.

End of story.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-06-13 09:34  

#3  What it'll boil down to is the the US and Afghanis will try to secure a border the Pakistani have ceded to the Taliban. Meanwhile while the Pakistani government will shake its fists and howl for the cameras.

At least with Chinese opera you get a meal and booze first.
Posted by: Pappy   2008-06-13 09:29  

#2  Talib, Paki ISI... not even a razor thin difference in this case.
Posted by: OldSpook   2008-06-13 09:18  

#1  The DoD needs to go all out in countering enemy propaganda. They shouldn't hand stuff out piecemeal.
Posted by: McZoid   2008-06-13 07:01  

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