Two Pakistani soldiers injured as NATO helicopters cross border
May 17, 2011 08:23 pm
Pakistani army officials said that, after the NATO helicopters crossed into Pakistani airspace over the North Waziristan tribal region, Pakistani soldiers at a military post near the border fired at the helicopters. The helicopters fired back, and in the exchange of gunfire two Pakistani soldiers were injured.
Local authorities said the skirmish took place sometime before 7 a.m. in the Datta Khel area, a Taliban stronghold frequently targeted by U.S. drone missile strikes. The wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital in Miramshah, North Waziristan’s largest town, local authorities said. In a prepared statement, the army said it had lodged a “strong protest” and requested a meeting with NATO officials to discuss the encounter.
A U.S. military official in Kabul, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said an incident involving coalition helicopters along the border was being investigated.
Previous instances of NATO helicopters crossing into Pakistan have caused serious rifts in the difficult alliance maintained by Washington and Islamabad. Last September, two NATO helicopters strayed into Pakistani airspace and delivered a missile strike on a border post, mistaking warning shots for hostile fire from insurgents. Two Pakistani soldiers were killed by the missile strike.
The Pakistani government retaliated by shutting down for 11 days a key border crossing that NATO uses to truck supplies and equipment through Pakistan and into Afghanistan. The U.S. later apologized for the incident. Roughly 40% of NATO’s non-weapons supplies move by truck from the Pakistani port city of Karachi to two crossings along the Afghan border. (Los Angeles Times)