US troops hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants crossed over from Afghanistan into Pakistan to search a Pashtun tribal village in a rare violation of the border, Pakistan’s military spokesman said on Tuesday. The US troops searched shops and a petrol pump in the village of Alwara Mandi, in North Waziristan during a night-time operation, according to Major-General Shaukat Sultan. Eyewitnesses said 60 US troops were involved in the operation. The village lies just 200 metres inside Pakistan, and the soldiers returned to Afghan soil immediately they were told that they were on the wrong side of the border. "The moment they were informed they went back. They stayed for no longer than 25 minutes," Sultan told Reuters.
| "Oops, sorry. My mistake, we'll be leaving now." |
He said such incursions were very rare, although US helicopters had strayed into Pakistan airspace before. On Monday, Lieutenant-General David Barno, commander of the US-led NATO forces in Kabul, urged Pakistan to kill or capture Arab, Chechen, Uzbek and other foreign militants holed up near the border, and expressed concern over Pakistan’s recent amnesty for several tribal militants.
| Accidental crossing or reminder? |
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