Pakistan army 'pleaded with Nato' to stop strikes that killed 24 troops

The US-led airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers lasted two hours and continued even after commanders pleaded with coalition forces to stop, army chiefs said today.

Nato described the deaths on Saturday as "tragic and unintended" and has promised a full investigation.

But Pakistani major general Athar Abbas said troops at two border posts were the victims of an unprovoked aggression. He said commanders had contacted Nato counterparts while the attack was going on, asking "get this fire to cease".

Afghan officials claimed today a joint Nato force in Afghanistan called in airstrikes after receiving incoming fire from the direction of the Pakistani posts - a claim denied by Pakistan.
Ties between Pakistan and the US were deteriorating even before the attack, which could dash American hopes of enlisting Islamabad's help in negotiating an end to the 10-year-old Afghan war.

The Pakistan army has previously said its soldiers retaliated "with all weapons available" to the attack.

The mountainous border has been a constant source of tension. Nato officials have complained that insurgents fire from across the frontier, often from positions close to Pakistani soldiers who have been accused of tolerating or supporting them. Nato and Afghan forces are not allowed to cross into Pakistan in pursuit of militants.
Saturday's strikes have added to popular anger in Pakistan against the US-led coalition presence in Afghanistan. Many in the army, parliament, general population and media already believed that the US and Nato are hostile to Pakistan and that the Afghan Taliban are not the enemy.
By claiming it was the victim of unprovoked aggression, the Pakistan army is strengthening this view.

While the US is widely disliked in Pakistan, the army has accepted billions of dollars in American aid over the past 10 years in return for its cooperation in fighting al Qaeda.

Maj-Gen Abbas dismissed Afghanistan's claims that the joint Afghan-Nato troops were fired upon first. "At this point, Nato and Afghanistan are trying to wriggle out of the situation by offering excuses," he said. "Where are their casualties?"

He said the two military posts, named "Volcano" and "Golden," were located on a ridge in Mohmand region about 300 yards from the Afghan border. He said their exact location had been provided to Nato and that the area had recently been cleared of militants.

Hours after the attack, Pakistan closed its western border to trucks delivering supplies to Nato troops in Afghanistan, demanded that the US abandon an air base inside Pakistan used to operate drone strikes, and said it will review its cooperation with the US and Nato. However, a complete breakdown in the relationship between the US and Pakistan is considered unlikely. Pakistan relies on American aid, and the US needs Pakistan to push Afghan insurgents to participate in peace talks.

A suicide bomber slammed a car packed with explosives into the gate of a prison in Taji, north of Baghdad today, killing at least 11 people, Iraqi officials said. It is the third major attack in about a week in Iraq. US troops are due to leave in just over a month.