Pakistani troops fire on US soldiers near Afghan border, reports say

in

Rachel Stevenson and agencies, The Guardian

Security officials say soldiers were trying to enter South Waziristan by helicopter

Pakistani forces have fired on US troops near the Afghan border,
stopping them from entering a remote north-western region of the
country, local security officials said today.

According to
reports, US helicopters landed on the Afghan side of the border at
about midnight. As the US troops disembarked and tried to cross into
Pakistan, Pakistani soldiers at a checkpoint fired into the air,
forcing them to turn back.

“The US choppers came into Pakistan by
just 100 to 150 metres. Our troops did not spare them, opened fire on
them, and they turned away,” one security official told Reuters.

The
Pakistani army denied involvement in the incident at Angor Adda in
South Waziristan. Major Murad Khan, a military spokesman, confirmed
there had been gunfire but denied Pakistani troops did the shooting or
that US helicopters crossed into Pakistan.

“The US choppers were
there at the border but they did not violate our airspace,” Khan said.
“We confirm that there was a firing incident at the time when the
helicopters were there, but our forces were not involved.” The US
military denied any such incident had taken place.

Pakistan has
been a crucial ally to the US in its so-called war on terror, but
Washington has lately become impatient at the presence of al-Qaida and
Taliban fighters in Pakistan along the Afghan border.

It emerged
last week that the US president, George Bush, had authorised military
raids against militants inside Pakistan without gaining prior approval
from Islamabad.

At least 20 people, including women and
children, were killed in a US raid in South Waziristan this month,
sparking outrage in Pakistan. South Waziristan is one of the main areas
from which militants launch attacks into Afghanistan.

General
Ashfaq Kayani, the head of the Pakistani army, said last week that
Pakistan would not allow foreign troops on to its soil.

Pakistani
tribesmen have threatened to join forces with the Taliban if Washington
fails to stop cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.

 

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