NATO incursion into Pakistan wounds two troops: officials

NATO helicopters from Afghanistan intruded into northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, local intelligence officials said, wounding two soldiers.
The latest incident comes as Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani arrives in Beijing for a visit that underlines Islamabad’s close and productive ties with China.
A government official said two NATO helicopters crossed into Pakistan’s North Waziristan region and remained for about 10 minutes in the area.
A Western military official in Kabul said two NATO helicopters supporting a base in eastern Afghanistan had returned fire after being attacked from Pakistan, but declined to say whether they fired from Afghan airspace or crossed the border.
The helicopters retreated after Pakistani border forces opened fire in the Datta Khel area about 40 km (24 miles) west of the main town of Miranshah, a security official said.
“A shell struck a mountain nearby and two of our soldiers were wounded by the rubble,” the official said.
The Pakistani military was not immediately available for comment.
A Western military official, who asked to remain anonymous, said NATO helicopters had fired at targets inside Pakistan, but only after they were attacked from across the border.
“Our initial reports indicate that two ISAF helicopters were in the area in support of FOB (forward operating base) Tillman, as the FOB had been receiving intermittent direct and indirect fire from across the Pakistani border,” he said.
“Upon arrival the helicopter received fire from across the border but did not immediately return fire. Upon receiving fire from across the border a second time, the helicopter returned fire,” he added.
The official said the NATO-led coalition had received reports that two Pakistani troops had been wounded. He declined further comment, including on whether the helicopters had entered Pakistan airspace.
Several Pakistani helicopters took off from Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah towards the site of Tuesday’s reported incursion, a Pakistani officials said.
“After the May 2 incident, there is a high alert on the border,” a security official said. “Forces have been ordered to respond quickly if there is any attempt of intrusion.”
Separately, a Pakistani helicopter gunship destroyed a wireless communication installation established by militants in mountains near Miranshah town in an strike on Tuesday, an intelligence official in the region said.
The incursion comes a day after a visit from U.S. Senator John Kerry, who was in Pakistan in an attempt to smooth relations in the wake of the bin Laden raid while also warning that Washington would not tolerate any of Pakistan’s alleged double-dealings with militant groups.
The reported incursion came a day after unmanned U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles in Datta Khel killing 12 militants, Pakistani officials said.
Pakistan has in the past reacted angrily to incursions by NATO aircraft.