Article

2008-06-11 India-Pakistan

Nato airstrike kills 11 Pakistani soldiers in 'cowardly and unprovoked attack'

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Posted by tipper 2008-06-11 06:51|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Sounds like the attack actually happened and was in response to a Taliban attack. The rest of the story is not so clear. Possibilities:
1) Clever Talibunnies (oxymoron alert) attacked NATO and retreated in a manner to implicate nearby Pakistani Army post.
2) Pakistani soldiers were simultaneously Taliban who had attacked Afghan post.
3) NATO/US observers or flyers screwed up and hit the wrong target.

Posted by Menhadden Snogum6713 2008-06-11 07:49|| 2008-06-11 07:49|| Front Page Top

#2 Note the Pak military use of the "martyr" term. Hell, take the mask off: they are jihadis. Pak border troops are usually Balochis, Waziris or Pashtos. These groups are more anti-American than the Punjab majority.

Posted by McZoid 2008-06-11 08:54|| 2008-06-11 08:54|| Front Page Top

#3 My money is on a combination of 2 and 3. The T-bunnies are wholly owned by the P-stans, AND Someone either mis-i.d.'d the target or "forgot" about the ROE.

Posted by N guard 2008-06-11 08:54|| 2008-06-11 08:54|| Front Page Top

#4 Damagh Khan Mohmand, a local tribesman who witnessed the fighting, said that it lasted for four hours, with Afghan and foreign forces trading fire with the Pakistani militants and with the Pakistan troops.

Posted by phil_b 2008-06-11 08:55|| 2008-06-11 08:55|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm getting tired of the US getting blamed for every bad outcome. The Pak soldiers are there. Either join the fight or get out of the way.

Posted by Hellfish 2008-06-11 08:57|| 2008-06-11 08:57|| Front Page Top

#6 I recommend more airstikes. Let Allah sort out the BDA.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-06-11 09:15|| 2008-06-11 09:15|| Front Page Top

#7 I wonder if they were "helping" the talibunnies. Seems to be a common theme along the border.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-06-11 09:20|| 2008-06-11 09:20|| Front Page Top

#8 if we're going to war with Paki, we'd better make nice with the Russians, or we have no logistics routes into Afghanistan. At least for awhile.

Posted by liberalhawk 2008-06-11 09:29|| 2008-06-11 09:29|| Front Page Top

#9 4 Damagh Khan Mohmand, a local tribesman who witnessed the fighting, said that it lasted for four hours, with Afghan and foreign forces trading fire with the Pakistani militants and with the Pakistan troops.

Just confirms what side the Paki army are on!!!!

Posted by Paul 2008-06-11 09:45|| 2008-06-11 09:45|| Front Page Top

#10 more at longwar journal.
story link

Posted by 3dc 2008-06-11 09:55|| 2008-06-11 09:55|| Front Page Top

#11 Looks like some Pakis got caught doing more than providing intel to the talibunnies...

This is what they have been caught doing...
KABUL, Afghanistan Pakistani intelligence agents and paramilitary forces have helped train Taliban insurgents and have given them information about American troop movements in Afghanistan, said a report published by a U.S. think tank. The study published Monday by the Rand Corp. also warned that the U.S. will face crippling, long-term consequences in Afghanistan if Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan are not eliminated.

It echoes recent statements by American generals, who have increased their warnings that militant safe havens in Pakistan are threatening efforts in Afghanistan. The study was funded by the U.S. Defense Department.

Every successful insurgency in Afghanistan since 1979 enjoyed safe haven in neighboring countries, and the current insurgency is no different, said the reports author, Seth Jones. Right now, the Taliban and other groups are getting help from individuals within Pakistans government, and until that ends, the regions long-term security is in jeopardy.

Posted by Deadeye Javirong5690 2008-06-11 10:43|| 2008-06-11 10:43|| Front Page Top

#12 3 Letters for y'all

I S I

Jus' sayin where there's smoke...

Posted by OldSpook 2008-06-11 12:25|| 2008-06-11 12:25|| Front Page Top

#13 Unprovoked = you can't prove we were shooting at you

Posted by Zhang Fei">Zhang Fei 2008-06-11 12:58|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2008-06-11 12:58|| Front Page Top

#14 For a good read re isi involvement see below

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/03/10/taliban/index2.html

Posted by Nero Chusoger4133 2008-06-11 14:02|| 2008-06-11 14:02|| Front Page Top

#15 http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/11/pakistan.troops.killed/index.html

On Monday, U.S. think tank the Rand Corporation released a report that said some members of Pakistan's intelligence service and the Frontier Corps were helping insurgents in Afghanistan.

The study, funded by the U.S. Defense Department, alleged that members of the two agencies often tipped off militants to the location and movement of coalition forces trying to rout them. It also said personnel within the agencies trained fighters at camps in Pakistan, financed them and helped them cross the border into Afghanistan. The Pakistani military denied that and denounced the report, calling it a "smear campaign" designed to "create doubts and suspicion in the minds of (the) target audience."
"smear" campaign - Hellfire missle - heh, good one, Ali"

Posted by Eohippus Glomosing7934 2008-06-11 14:50|| 2008-06-11 14:50|| Front Page Top

#16 On the eve of the US election, duplicitous Pakis, Afghans and Iraqis are stabbing the US in the back. Last weekend, al-Maliki went to Teheran to take counsel from the Ayatollahs; he met with Ahmadinejad and claimed that under SOFA, he would keep US troops barracked until he needed them (read: to wage war on Sunnis). Further, without even having a signed document, he said that Iraq wouldn't be used as a base for war against Iran. Last week, Karzai told a Der Spiegel interviewer that he wished Taliban was on his side, and he praised their morality. And now we have border skirmishing by our Paki ally. Then there is the oil price scam.

Unless SOFA is signed on July 31, Bush will have to seek an extension of the UN resolution on Iraq. Clearly, Iran's Ayatollahs ordered their puppets in the Iraq Parliament to treat the US as beggars and posed untenable absolute preconditions, that would place US SOFA troops under effective Iranian control. After the Soviet Revolution, Lenin signed an agreement giving over half of European Russia to the Germans. That agreement only ended with the German defeat.

August could be a really bad month for the US. Of course, I would toss the UN out, and make terrorist controlled cities look like the Moon. I value the life of a single cockroach more than the lives of every jihadi on the face of the earth.

Posted by McZoid 2008-06-11 14:58|| 2008-06-11 14:58|| Front Page Top

#17 The Iraqis and Afghans are just being smart politicans and good negotiators. You expected them to be undying allies like the French and Germans?

What's the problem with another year under a un res? I'd rather have an SOFA negotiated by a new administration with leverage than a lame duck desperate to get an agreement. Let the Iraqis worry about how far Hussein will back them for a while.

The Paks know they're next.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-06-11 15:07|| 2008-06-11 15:07|| Front Page Top

#18 Just change Pakistani soldiers to Palestinian Policemen

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2008-06-11 17:28|| 2008-06-11 17:28|| Front Page Top

#19 Terrorist Facilitators also works...

Posted by john frum 2008-06-11 18:22|| 2008-06-11 18:22|| Front Page Top

#20 WAFF.com [My TItle]> TRIBALS SHOOT DOWN US-CONTROLLED HELO GUNSHIP, KIDNAP 6 NATO SOLDIERS, AND KILL 40 FRONTIER CORPS AND SECURITY FORCES IN RETALIATION FOR KILLING OF PAKI ARMY TROOPS BY NATO AIRSTRIKE.

Gaawd, another long one.

Anyhoo, looks the locals are angry and have struck back, wid Paki Govt proclaiming that the killing of Paki Army troops via said NATO airstrike HAS DE FACTO JEOPARDIZED PAKI COOPERATION WID US-NATO???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-06-11 19:48|| 2008-06-11 19:48|| Front Page Top

#21 Very curious - essentially complete confirmation and description of facts, without elaboration, by US, and lots of adverbs and adjectives in Pakistani description.

Tells me we did exactly what we intended, and the other side is caught, confronted and confused.

Let's hope there's no response by US/NATO to Pak. army's series of demands for consultation, remedial actions, enhanced cooperation and so forth. Let them tell us where they are, and we'll tell them to stop moving troops across the border or else.

Posted by Harcourt Jush7795 2008-06-11 22:03|| 2008-06-11 22:03|| Front Page Top

#22 From AP:
American officials defended the air attack, saying the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan was retaliating after its troops came under fire about 200 yards inside Afghan territory. The coalition said it had informed Pakistan's army the troops were being attacked from a wooded area near the Pakistani border checkpoint at Gorparai where the Pakistani troops were killed.

The implication of that account appeared to be that the Pakistani troops were near the insurgents who were attacking coalition forces inside Afghanistan. Buttressing that view, the Taliban said eight of their fighters also died.

Sounds like an old Paki border guards tradition, providing covering fire for the jihad.

Posted by ed 2008-06-11 22:27|| 2008-06-11 22:27|| Front Page Top

#23 My bet is that the louder they bitch, the bigger we scored.

Posted by tu3031 2008-06-11 22:59|| 2008-06-11 22:59|| Front Page Top

23:35 Iblis
23:26 Slolugum Tojo8008
23:10 FOTSGreg
22:59 tu3031
22:51 DMFD
22:49 Chinegum McGurque5166
22:32 Gullible Traveler
22:28 Gullible Traveler
22:27 ed
22:18 Chaviter the Wicked aka Broadhead6
22:12 Gullible Traveler
22:03 Harcourt Jush7795
21:50 badanov
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21:40 Clereling Lumplump3369
21:36 Skunky Glins 5***
21:24 Eric Jablow
21:23 Fred
21:07 Frank G
20:53 Jack Murtha
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20:41 JosephMendiola
20:29 Nimble Spemble
20:25 phil_b