Pakistan Halts NATO Supplies After Attack
Pakistan blocks vital supply route for forces in Afghanistan, after cross-border NATO air strike
Supply trucks and fuel tankers for international troops were lined up at the Torkham border post in Pakistan's Khyber tribal region Thursday, hours after the NATO raid - the fourth reported by Pakistani officials in recent days. The bulk of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan move through Pakistan.
Earlier Thursday, Pakistan's military said NATO helicopters attacked a paramilitary checkpoint in the Kurram tribal region near the Afghan border. A military spokesman says Pakistani troops fired warning shots at the helicopters, which responded by firing missiles that killed three soldiers and wounded three others.
Pakistani officials reported a second NATO air strike nearby, but there were no injuries.
NATO says its helicopters briefly entered Pakistani airspace Thursday, while targeting militants trying to attack a coalition base in Afghanistan's Paktia province.
NATO says after the initial strike, coalition aircraft came under fire from across the border in Pakistan. Coalition helicopters then entered Pakistani airspace again in self-defense, and killed several armed individuals.
NATO says Pakistani officials informed the coalition that Pakistani military personnel had been struck by coalition aircraft, and that both sides were investigating to verify the exact location of both incidents. NATO offered condolences to the Pakistani military.
It was unclear if Pakistan blocked the NATO supply route in retaliation for the attack. Pentagon spokesman Colonel David Lapan said Thursday that U.S. defense officials were discussing the matter with the Pakistani government. He said the military has various routes to resupply troops in Afghanistan and that there is no immediate impact.
The incidents occurred as U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the CIA chief he was "profoundly concerned" about increasing U.S. drone strikes and violations of Pakistan's airspace by NATO forces which Pakistan says violates its sovereignty.
Earlier this week, Pakistan strongly protested two other cross-border NATO strikes on Pakistani territory that killed several dozen militants.
The tribal area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan is largely controlled by militants who regularly launch attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.
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