Pakistan Army Says NATO Attack Was Blatant Aggression

[Purveyor]

By Augustine Anthony and Rebecca Conway

ISLAMABAD | Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:14am EST

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A senior Pakistani army official has said a NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 soldiers was a deliberate, blatant act of aggression, hardening Pakistan's stance on an incident that could hurt efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.

Islamabad reacted angrily to the attack, which threatens to set back peace efforts in Afghanistan, by pulling out of an international conference in Germany next week on Afghanistan's future. It stood by its decision on Wednesday despite German hopes to the contrary.

Continuing that angry tone, Major General Ishfaq Nadeem, director general of military operations, said NATO forces were alerted they were attacking Pakistani posts but helicopters kept firing. His comments were carried in local newspapers on Wednesday that characterized the attack as blatant aggression.

"Detailed information of the posts was already with ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), including map references, and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts," The News quoted Nadeem as saying at an editors' briefing held at army headquarters on Tuesday.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/us-pakistan-nato-idUSTRE7AT0JZ20111130

[bemildred]

1. Not buying that it was all a misunderstanding, eh?

I have to say that I find it very unconvincing that we would not know where the border posts are, isn't that what we are paying all this money for, information management?

[xchrom]

2. it's the strangest of all arguments -- our planes, drones, and paid informants

we probably know as much about that neighborhood as we do any where here in america.

the best outcome might be that this is a monument to american incompetence.

[limpyhobbler]

3. They might have been hiding terrorists in that border base

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they were harboring some terrorists in that border base. Or they were letting badguys sneak across. We may have blown it up on purpose. Let's don't jump to conclusions.

[Martin Eden]

4. What was our motive?

I mean, doesn't the fallout from this incident hurt our mission there?