Nato air attack on Pakistani troops was self-defence, says senior western official

[WestVirginiaRebel]

UK Guardian:

An attack by Nato aircraft on Pakistani troops that allegedly killed as many as 28 soldiers and looks set to further poison relations between the US and Pakistan was an act of self-defence, a senior western official has claimed.

According to the Kabul-based official, a joint US-Afghan force operating in the mountainous Afghan frontier province of Kunar was the first to come under attack in the early hours of Saturday morning, forcing them to return fire.

The high death toll from an incident between two supposed allies suggests Nato helicopters and jets strafed Pakistani positions with heavy weapons.

The deadliest friendly fire incident since the start of the decade-long war also prompted Pakistan to ban Nato supply trucks from crossing into Afghanistan and to issue an order demanding the US quit the remote Shamsi airbase, from which the US has operated some unmanned drone aircraft.

A spokesman for Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was "highly likely" that aircraft which had been called into the area to provide "close air support" to troops on the ground was responsible for causing casualties among the Pakistani soldiers.

For their part, a statement by the Pakistani military claimed that it was they who were attacked first, forcing them to respond to Nato's "aggression with all available weapons".
________

Maybe Obama can ask Bill Murray for advice on how to deal with Pakistan...

[Valin]

WestVirginiaRebel

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIW51qKSwt4

 

Update:

AP: Afghan soldiers called in deadly NATO airstrike

RAHIM FAIEZ and RIAZ KHAN

 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Afghan troops who came under fire while operating near the Pakistan border called in the NATO airstrikes that allegedly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at two posts along the frontier, Afghan officials said Sunday.

 

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said it's unclear who attacked the Afghan troops before dawn Saturday, but that the soldiers were fired upon from the direction of the Pakistani border posts that were hit in the strikes. The border area where the soldiers were operating contains a mix of Pakistani forces and Islamist militants

(Snip)

[pollyannaish]

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

 

This smells like quagmire. Wish I trusted our CIC more on how to handle complexities of tho sort of thing.

[Valin]

pollyannaish

 

The thing is there are parts of the Pakistan government/military/ISI that would be very happy if we left Afghanistan.

[pollyannaish]

pollyannaish

 

The thing is there are parts of the Pakistan government/military/ISI that would be very happy if we left Afghanistan.

 

Yup. It's a mess...without strong enough leadership on our side. I believe tepid commitments to winning create quagmires, not the rightness of the cause. Without strong leadership...everyone gets confused and lost. Even the other side. War is not a good time for misunderstandings and waffling. It's clarity and resolve that achieve results.

[Valin]

pollyannaish

 

The thing is there are parts of the Pakistan government/military/ISI that would be very happy if we left Afghanistan.

 

Yup. It's a mess...without strong enough leadership on our side. I believe tepid commitments to winning create quagmires, not the rightness of the cause. Without strong leadership...everyone gets confused and lost. Even the other side. War is not a good time for misunderstandings and waffling. It's clarity and resolve that achieve results.

 

 

Maybe the President should give a speech!

[pollyannaish]

Yeah. That'll do it. Heh.

 

I miss GW. According to tptb he couldn't speak to save his life...but he communicated so clearly you always knew where he stood. Must have been magic.