Pakistan military fires at US choppers

KABUL: Pakistani troops fired at two US helicopters from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan Thursday, causing no damage but accusing them of crossing the border amid escalating tensions in the area.
 
The Pakistani military said the troops had fired warning shots at two helicopters which were "well within Pakistani territory."

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US government insisted however that the choppers had not entered Pakistani air space.

"ISAF helicopters received small-arms fire from a Pakistan military checkpoint along the border near Tanai district, Khost, September 25 while conducting routine operations in Afghanistan," ISAF said in a statement.

"There are no reports of any damages to the helicopters or any casualties."

The statement added: "ISAF forces and the Pakistani military are working together to resolve the matter."

The district borders Pakistan's North Waziristan, one of the areas where Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are said to have bases.

The Pakistani military said the choppers had crossed into Pakistan at the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan.

"They passed over our checkpost so our troops fired warning shots," chief Pakistani military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

"The helicopters returned fire but there was no damage on the ground."

A separate military statement said the helicopters were "well within Pakistani territory" when the incident happened.

Abbas said the matter was being taken up with ISAF.

Pakistan's army is also currently investigating the crash of a suspected unmanned US spy plane 24 hours earlier near the Afghan border. Residents said it was shot down by tribesmen, but the military said it malfunctioned.

And Pakistani troops fired warning shots to repel two US helicopter gunships on Sunday, security officials said.

In New York, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan's military was firing "flares" so helicopter pilots "know that they have crossed the border line."

It was not immediately clear if this was an explanation of Thursday's incident, which ISAF said involved gunfire.

With tensions high, the Pentagon quickly called Thursday's events "an unfortunate misunderstanding" and confirmed US helicopters were involved.

"They are confident that they were in Afghan air space the whole time," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

A State Department spokesman said Washington wanted an explanation from Pakistan, commenting that "the Taliban are not flying helicopters."

"We have been in touch with the Pakistanis about this and we certainly want to have an explanation," the spokesman said.

"These ISAF helicopters were operating inside Afghan territory, and as far as I know, the Taliban are not flying helicopters. So we want to find out what happened and the Pakistanis are trying to give us an explanation."

Tensions across the porous frontier soared after a series of US missile strikes on Islamic militants and an incursion by US soldiers into Pakistani tribal areas adjoining Afghanistan.

The mandate of the NATO force in Afghanistan, where it is helping fight a growing insurgency led by the Al-Qaeda-linked Taliban, ends at the border although it reserves the right to self-defence.

The US-led coalition also operating in Afghanistan also denies carrying out operations across the frontier.

Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels fled to the country after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.

Afghanistan has long been calling for international troops to pay more attention to militant bases across the border, which it says supply extremists who are staging attacks on Afghan and international forces.

But Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Wednesday reiterated that his country would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity "by anyone in the name of combating terrorism."

Under growing pressure to crack down on the militants, the country has stepped up its own offensives.

At least 16 Al-Qaeda-linked militants and two civilians were killed Thursday when Pakistani helicopter gunships shelled rebel hideouts in the tribal Bajaur region, which is north of Waziristan.