News
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
NATO raid was deliberate: army* DGMO tells journalists positions of posts were already conveyed to ISAF through map references and it is impossible that they did not know these to be our posts
RAWALPINDI: The NATO attacks on border checkposts in Mohmand Agency were deliberate and were carried out in violation of coordination procedures, Director General Military Operations (DG MO), Maj Gen Ishfaq Nadeem, said on Tuesday.
Terming the strikes as unprovoked act of blatant aggression during a briefing to newsmen and defence analysts at the GHQ, Gen Nadeem said, “The positions of the posts were already conveyed to the ISAF through map references and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts.” Chief of General Staff, Lt General Waheed Arshad, was also present during the briefing.
The DG MO said that there were four border communication centres to coordinate operations against militants but, unfortunately, all standard operating procedures were violated by ISAF and NATO forces on the night of attack. The area where the attacks were carried out was already cleared of the militants by Pakistani forces and there was no cross-border movement of terrorists from Pakistan to Afghanistan, he added.
Prior to the incident, there had been three attacks which were carried out from across the border in 2008, 2010 and 2011, killing 14 Pakistani soldiers and injuring another 13, the senior military officer said. “No information regarding inquiry of these attacks was shared or provided to us despite our repeated requests, and when provided, it was inaccurate and incomplete,” he added.
Giving details of the incident, Gen Nadeem said after midnight on November 26, two to three helicopters arrived in the area and engaged the border post named Volcano, breaking down all communication systems there. In response, another post, Boulder, engaged the intruding helicopters with anti-aircraft guns and other weapons. The helicopters then attacked this post.
He said all channels of coordination methods were immediately activated. “We informed them about the attack. But, the helicopters reappeared and also engaged the Boulder post.” In the attacks, 24 soldiers, including two officers, embraced martyrdom while 15 others sustained injuries, he added. When asked why did the ISAF and NATO attacked the Pakistani posts and what type of advantage they wanted to gain, Gen Nadeem said that people could better analyse the situation in the backdrop of the post-May 2 operation.
To a query, he said the response of the government was adequate and mentioned the Defence Cabinet Committee (DCC) meeting and notice to US for vacation of Shamsi airbase. The DG MO said the Pakistan Air Force was not asked to respond to the attack because the situation on ground was not clear. Commenting on the Afghan media reports about shelling from the Pakistani side of the border into Afghanistan, he said the reports were totally incorrect and there was no truth in them. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk