Pakistan condemns NATO strike, which killed 25 soldiers

Pakistan on Saturday condemned overnight air strikes by NATO helicopters on the country’s border posts which killed nearly 25 security personnel.
NATO helicopters struck three ports in Pakistan’s Mohmand tribal region, bordering Afghanistan, late Friday night and killed 25 soldiers and injured 15 others, sources as said.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said that Pakistan was considering blocking the supplies to NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan after the incident while local media has reported that Pakistani authorities have already suspended supplies.
The spokesperson was quoted by local TV channels as describing the NATO strikes as ‘attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty’.
She confirmed that Pakistan has formally lodged protest with the US State Department in Washington. Local TV channels reported that Pakistani diplomats in Washington conveyed a formal protest to the US officials and demanded immediate inquiry.
The spokesperson said Pakistan has also started its own investigations and is collecting details of the incident, which has sparked widespread condemnation in the country.
“We will review several options after investigations are completed,” she said. “Suspension of NATO supplies could be one of the options,” she added.
Barrister Masood Kausar, Governor of north-western Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, who is also in-charge of tribal affairs, condemned the NATO strike and said Pakistan will raise the issue at different forums.
In a statement, he warned that Pakistan could take counter action if NATO continued carrying out attacks on Pakistani posts.
Sources said that NATO helicopters entered Pakistani airspace in Mohmand tribal region from Afghanistan and fired at least three border posts, killing 25 soldiers and injuring 15 others. All posts were also destroyed.
The strike was widely condemned by Pakistani political leaders and called for halt to NATO supplies.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the strike, termed it as open terrorism and called for an immediate inquiry into the incident.