US troops have fired into Pakistani territory at least four times in the last 10 months in cross-border skirmishes that they say are in response to shelling from inside Pakistan, CNN reported on Monday.
The revelation is likely to stoke already tense relations between Pakistan and the United States, which hit a new low after a NATO airstrike last year killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the volatile border.
While the Taliban and Haqqani network, an Afghan militant group operating from Pakistan’s Waziristan province, are generally believed responsible for cross-border attacks against troops, an Afghan army commander says Pakistani soldiers opened fire on him and his men as recently as April 14. “When we went near the border, we were attacked with an anti-aircraft gun and mortars by the Pakistani army from their checkpoints. We are not only attacked from the Pakistani soil, but we are also attacked by the Pakistani army,” Masoud Karimi, an Afghan army commander, told CNN.
“We just saw them with our own eyes that the Pakistani soldiers were firing at us and on the same day we reported to the Americans. But the Americans told us that it was from the other side of the border and they didn’t have the permission to conduct operations … there,” he said.
Army Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed Afghan soldiers were involved in a cross-border clash that day. He did not specify who opened fire upon the Afghans.
US troops do, however, sometimes fire back into Pakistan, as confirmed during a recent visit by CNN to Forward Operating Base Tillman in Afghanistan’s rugged Paktika province. The commander at FOB Tillman, located just a few kilometers from the Pakistan border, said he has fired across the border in response to being shelled from inside Pakistan. Army Capt. Charles Seitz said he did not know the exact number of times he returned fire. But when pressed by CNN, and asked whether it was correct to say that he had fired into Pakistan more than five times, he responded: “That sounds accurate.”
The outpost is one of a handful along the Afghan-Pakistan border, and the captain’s admission may indicate more cross-border violence than previously publicized. Cummings, the ISAF spokesman, said troops at Tillman have fired into Pakistan four times since June 2011. Gen. Athar Abbas, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, said he did not know the exact number of times FOB Tillman fired into Pakistan, but that four sounded accurate.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said they try to liaise with Pakistani military forces first. But that communication does not always happen, Abbas said. He said that most of the time US officials or NATO inform Pakistan before firing across the border, but sometimes they do not and Pakistani military checkpoints are hit. Abbas said he was unaware of the April 14 cross-border clash.
America will not make progress in Afghanistan unless it deals with terrorists in Pakistan.
You are right the real terrorists in Pakistan are CIA agents, they should be treated so as to bring peace in Afghanistan. These freaky CIA agents are training people in Afghanistan and then using them in Pakistani soil so as to destablize Pakistan. Now the world know ur real face, use some other tactics.
The Afgan army says it when it was fired on by Pak Army it reported it to the Ameericans.
Why did they not fire back themselves>
What a bunch of cowards.
America is using Pakistani soil illegally. In the name of fight against terrorism, they are killing civil pakistani people which is nowhere a justified fight. Killing unarmed civilians is just another way to show its cowardness to the world. After shooting terrorists, american soldier gets excited to have a photograph with their dead bodies…. Where are the human rights zealots this time? Is no. dead bodies only way to show supremacy as superpower……
But it is ok for musliums to strap bombs to children and blow people up? That is being a coward
This cowardly act is used by TTP, the US RAW and CIA paid agents. They ar taken to afghanistan for training to destablize Pakistan. You guys are the one who are doing it, using poor Pakistanis, giving their families money and making them sacrifice their lives to destablise Pakistan. Now the world knows America really is. BBC and CCN are US paid channels who just show the positive side of US. Peeing on the dead bodies by the US soldiers, burning holy books and killing innocent women and children at night when they wrre asleep in Afghanistan is no way acceptable to any human beings. US is a lost state with cruel rulers.
So let me get this straight. You are claiming that we train muslium militants.
Where is your evidence to back up your claim?
The killing of the innocent women and children was bull s hit. The book burnings? Come on it's a false book like the bible. Is it really worth killing people over a book?
I will be waiting for documented evidence to back up your claim.
WeeToddEdwards This cowardly act is used by TTP, the US RAW and CIA paid agents. They ar taken to afghanistan for training to destablize Pakistan. You guys are the one who are doing it, using poor Pakistanis, giving their families money and making them sacrifice their lives to destablise Pakistan. Now the world knows America really is. BBC and CCN are US paid channels who just show the positive side of US. Peeing on the dead bodies by the US soldiers, burning holy books and killing innocent women and children at night when they wrre asleep in Afghanistan is no way acceptable to any human beings. US is a lost state with cruel rulers.
If Pakistan feels safe with china, why wont it request china to help for fight against terror……? India, too is always ready to help pakistan fight against terrorism. Why pakistani govt. chose America only, who have no mercy for pakistani civilians, the country which sees every pakistani as terrorist, the country which donot respects religious ideals at its airport…….. Why pakistan is very much obssessed about america neglecting its border neighbours India and China…,?
Invasion in islamic countries and then the merciless killing in the name of terrorism and human rights, seems like it is the culture of America. For example, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Algeria, libya and now Pakistan(please note that all are Islamic nations)……. America’s fight against terrorism seems likè fight against íslam……..
Because that is what it has come too. A war between religions. Time to rid the world of religion
Today, America wants the world to live in their western way. The culture and traditions of India and Pakistan, which seems to be very much conservative are regulary attacked by America, in the name of say human rights or terrorism. America sees Islam as a religion which humiliates human rights(they dont see as a religious custom)……. They are regularly attacking this religion and its ideals in the name of human rights and terrorism……
Sometimes religious customs need to change to keep up with the real world. Stonng rape victims is not a good custom.
That one is for you roger
WeeToddEdwards how about if your country too is attacked in the name of religion and I kill your mother father and everyone on the same basis. Would that be acceptable to you??? think twice before speaking rubbish. Killing innocent people using drone strikes in Pakistan and not letting the world know the exact figures of those poor people killed along with militants is no justice to humanity. How about i do the same to your house and kill your whole family this way???
We were attacked in the name of religion and 3,000 people died because of it. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends all over religion.
I do not agree with using drones and innocent civilians getting in your counrty or mine. That is not the point I was trying to make though. Religion is responsible for this. Their is no god or allah. Time to stop fighting over this crap
Narendra modi: you may be right but its none of your business to interfere……please leave us as we are……we dont need your free advice……firstly get your human rights record clean……..merciless killing which you did in gujrat was justified……?
The merciless killing was the answer to the killing of hindu pilgrims burnt alive in train by muslim mob…..
I'm sure our generals are getting sufficient sleep. Please send some bangles to GHQ
Hahaha, got money from daddy(china) to conduct tests? Did big daddy(US) permitted you to conduct test? Be carefull, NATO may shot your ballistic missile……..hahaha….
As far as the missile test is concerned, i wish best of luck to pakistan scientists, who are suffering from insomnia from the day India has successfully launched its missile. Be cautious about the post launch pogrom, if the launch succeed,then it will be a bigger problem for pakistan then any other country as other countries have enough security to save them from attack but if the missile goes in hand of terrorist then where will fellow pakistanis go as neither their army nor govt is capable of countering terrorism…….. By the way, from where did pakistan got money to conduct tests….US,CHINA OR HAFEEZ SAEED, coz as per my knowledge neither your army nor your govt have enough money………….
Yes it seems to be an attack on Muslims in the name of terrorism. The Asian countries shoud get united before one by one all are attacked by US.
BBC and CCN are US paid channels who just show the positive side of US. Peeing on the dead bodies by the US soldiers, burning holy books and killing innocent women and children at night when they wrre asleep in Afghanistan is no way acceptable to any human beings. US is a lost state with cruel rulers.
dont beleive on CNN and BBC news. They show some paid people who speak against Pakistan. This is media war and US is trying to win it by spreading false news all over the world.
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