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| India-Pakistan |
| Americans were present at shootout... |
| 2002-06-29 |
| Sources said Pakistani forces had taken a number of steps to tighten their hold on the security situation in the Agency following Tuesday night's bloody gun-battle inside a house in South Waziristan. They said that at least one American security person was within firing range when Pakistani forces and Al Qaeda members exchanged fire killing 10 Pakistani soldiers and militia-men. That knowledge probably made Qazi's entire life flash before his eyes... Security sources concede that the killing of the 10 army men in the shootout was due to a "slight miscalculation". "There was basically an error of judgment regarding assessment and intentions by the executing party," said a defence official, adding: "Given the tribal elders' assurances to them of full cooperation the raiding party did not expect such violent retaliation." He means the sonsofbitches lied to them and the OIC was dumb enough to believe them. Strangely, he doesn't sound surprised... Dawn learnt on authority that at the time of the shootout two American intelligence communication experts were present close by. One of them, a middle-level officer, was in the firing range and had a narrow escape. That sort of thing's okay, as long as you live to tell your grandkids about it. Making sure you get to tell the story's the hard part. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |