News
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
NATO strikes may have violated procedures: Pentagon
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon on Tuesday said recent cross-border air strikes by NATO helicopters in Pakistan may have violated procedures and resulted from “communication breakdowns”. Pakistan on Monday denounced last week’s helicopter strikes as flouting the country’s sovereignty but the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in neighboring Afghanistan insisted its troops had the right to defend themselves. “I don’t know that I’d call it a disagreement but there are certainly discussions under way between our forces and the Pakistanis about this particular incident,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters. ISAF forces were not able to notify Pakistani officers about the helicopter strikes until after the operation, he said. “I think I can say that clearly in these instances things didn’t occur in the way that they’re supposed to. And that’s what we’re trying to get to,” Lapan said. ISAF, which is battling Taliban militants in Afghanistan, said in an earlier statement that the helicopters went after insurgents in Pakistan after an Afghan security forces’ outpost came under attack on Friday. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk