Afghans Say Pakistan Fired First

Wall Street Journal ^ | Nov. 27, 2011 | Dion Nissenbaum, Tom Wright, Owais Tohid

[La Enchiladita]

Afghan and Western officials on Sunday said NATO and Afghan forces on a nighttime operation Saturday came under fire from across the Pakistan border before they called in a deadly airstrike on two Pakistani military posts, in an incident has left U.S.-Pakistan relations in tatters.

Pakstan's military denied firing on NATO forces, calling the "unprovoked" raid on the border posts an "irresponsible act." The army questioned why the coalition undertook a sustained two-hour attack on well-known border positions, involving helicopters and fighter jets, which left 25 soldiers dead and another 25 injured.

...Afghan and U.S. officials say their troops are increasingly facing fire from Pakistan's side of the border. Pakistan is angry over the increased incidence of cross-border raids by Afghan and NATO forces.

[La Enchiladita]

Two Afghan officials working in the border area where the attack took place said Sunday that the joint force was targeting Taliban forces in the area when it received fire from a Pakistan military outpost. That prompted the coalition force to call for an air attack on the Pakistani posts, said an Afghan Border Police official in the area. Pakistani officials were informed of the operation before it took place, he said.

Also:

A U.S. official in Kabul said insurgents may have been firing into Afghanistan near the Pakistani border outpost Saturday morning, which prompted coalition forces to strike back.

[Vermont Lt]

Did the shooting stop? Seems to me they got the folks that were shooting at the NATO troops.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks La Enchiladita.

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