Pakistani and American Troops Exchange Fire

Pakistani and American Troops Exchange Fire

www.nytimes.com

WASHINGTON — Pakistani and American ground troops exchanged fire along the border with Afghanistan on Thursday after the Pakistanis shot at two American helicopters, ratcheting up tensions as the United States increases its attacks against militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who are being sheltered in Pakistan’s restive tribal areas.

The two American OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters were not damaged and no casualties were reported on either side from the ground fire. But American and

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Related News Links:
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news.theage.com.au

This is breaking, it appears the American Military has crossed into Pakistan as recently, but is now returning fire on the Pakistani Troops,

Cool heads I pray!

As both powers are Nuclear and its the area of much Sino Indian troubles, with the Kashmir and Swat Valleys, this quickly could turn multi regional if the tribes take sides.

Kind Regards,

Elf.

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The helicopters were escorting U.S. and Afghan ground troops and were flying about a mile inside the Afghan border, the Associated Press reported, citing an unidentified U.S. military official. U.S. and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire during the incident, which began when Pakistan forces shot at the aircraft, the official told AP. No casualties were reported, AP said.

Pakistan's military gave a different account, saying two helicopters entered its airspace from Afghanistan at 3:30 p.m. local time and were ``well within'' its territory above North Waziristan when security forces fired ``anticipatory warning shots.'' The aircraft returned fire and turned back, the military said in an e-mailed statement from its headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Bloomberg

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani troops fired on U.S. helicopters on Thursday in a sharp escalation of tensions between the two allies, who gave conflicting accounts of the incident.

Pakistan's military said its soldiers fired warning shots at the helicopters after they intruded into Pakistani airspace. But the United States said the aircraft were operating inside Afghanistan.

Reuters

Conflicting reports then, and maybe not an American return of fire as first reported?

Elf



[edit on 25-9-2008 by MischeviousElf]

reply to post by MischeviousElf


I don't have too much to add at the moment, but very important news indeed. Star and flag for you.

It getting odd. Really really odd. Last week Pakistan said they shot down a US drone and then the US army said they weren't missing a drone and that Pakistan was wrong. Now Pakistan is saying they fired on a US helicopter but the US army comes in again and says Pakistan is wrong?

What is going on and who owns these things?

reply to post by beaverg


Pakistan is now an enemy of the US, but that fact is not meant for domestic consumption until after the elections. (Or the next 9/11 perhaps.)

Originally posted by beaverg
It getting odd. Really really odd. Last week Pakistan said they shot down a US drone and then the US army said they weren't missing a drone and that Pakistan was wrong. Now Pakistan is saying they fired on a US helicopter but the US army comes in again and says Pakistan is wrong?

What is going on and who owns these things?

If they shot down a drone, then where is the proof?

LOL this news report of gunfire exchange after the Pakistani President lied to people in the press conference??.
"Its the flares you mean the flares" haha

Pakistan is not firing gunfire at NATO
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari says Pakistan's military is firing "flares" to warn NATO helicopters about the exact location of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

Zardari, who was beginning a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, contradicted NATO accounts that its helicopters had come under "small arms fire" inside Afghan territory near the Pakistan border.

"You mean the flares," Zardari replied when asked about the NATO accounts, adding the flares are "to make sure that they know that they have crossed the border line."
"Sometimes the border is so mixed that they don't realise they have crossed the border," said Zardari, seated opposite Rice in a luxury hotel.

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) insisted however that the choppers had not entered Pakistani airspace.

As reporters filed out of the room, Rice told Zardari: "The border is very, very unclear, I know."

Don't believe the politically motivated white-wash. Senior Pakistani leadership will try to downplay any border incidents for their own interests in world opinion, while it is the US interest to go along with the denial for reasons of domestic politics. After the elections it'll be mainstream news, all too suddenly, that Pakistan has been shooting at us for months.

And one more thing, our own leadership has been preparing for the "fall of Musharraf" for some time now, knowing that he was their only friend in Pakistan.

Special Forces activated

We've already got people embedded for when the shooting war really opens up.

(Mods note clicking reply to Interestinggg post gave blank page and "unknown" on top left corner)

Interestinggg
Thank you for that Info, do you have the source of the exchanges with rice etc, would find it most interesting thanks.

I think an issue here is that "no One" not the Pakistani Military or the Afghan Military, Nato, India, Taliban, Cashmere Separatists, Local Cleric's "al Qaeda" Whatever that is or isn’t anyway, Bin Laden if he is alive still and hiding there, no one has total control or say in this area, very worrying as Like nature Nations abhor unstable vacuums.

A lot of people in the Mix without the closeness of Russia, China, India etc, and its like the current American economy, a big elephant in the living room that no one is noticing IMHO.

This area is very very complex, volatile and also with multi regional interested and already engaged parties involved, but no one has "control" over it as it's at an almost tribal level still.

I just dread to think of an Black Hawk Down Situation in the Pakistan territory, some part's of it are totally controlled by Radical Islamisist's, and its influence is growing.

If Pakistani Troops or Nato ones were there to extract any such causalities im not sure they would come out alive.

God Forbid a Pakistani Soldier hits one with a RPG or an American kills some Pakistani Troops, friendly fire or not.

Kind regards,

Elf.


[edit on 25-9-2008 by MischeviousElf]

This is just the next, step. Of America taking over the world. They are tackling 'rengade' countrys and implimenting their own ideals, and goverment into it.

Its so freaking obviuos it is stupid, that no ones aksin', hey whats going on?

No way would they join the NWO and their one world goverment, so they are just taking the country by force, it is 'conform or face invasion', that is what america is saying to the world

I met a guy from Pakistan a few years ago at work. He was big-time pissed off that his country had suddenly been invaded by KFC's and Blockbuster Video stores. It may seem like no big deal to us, or anecdotal. But other people in the world see such rampant capitalism and the steamrolling of tradition as genuine evil, perhaps even rightly so. The fast food chains in particular are in fact and literally, killing us all...

"Let them eat cake!"

Originally posted by jackinthebox
I met a guy from Pakistan a few years ago at work. He was big-time pissed off that his country had suddenly been invaded by KFC's and Blockbuster Video stores. It may seem like no big deal to us, or anecdotal. But other people in the world see such rampant capitalism and the steamrolling of tradition as genuine evil, perhaps even rightly so. The fast food chains in particular are in fact and literally, killing us all...

"Let them eat cake!"

I'll be honest, I'm not Pakistani and I'm sick of seeing homogenisation due to the likes of North American chains like McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, Subway, Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut &c as well as all the non-food shops. It's bad enough that all our towns are beginning to look the same due to prevalence of our own chains, but what makes it worse is how much of it is North American.

God knows how other countries feel; particularly countries that might have genuine beef with the U.S.

reply to post by Merriman Weir


I don't have sound, so I can't tell if these are both the same version or not, but you might like this song. Goes right along with the point though about this homogenization.

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

I like the original version better, but it might make more sense in English.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
reply to post by Merriman Weir

 

I don't have sound, so I can't tell if these are both the same version or not, but you might like this song. Goes right along with the point though about this homogenization.

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

I like the original version better, but it might make more sense in English.

Heh, thanks. Unfortunately, we're a bit like the story of 'the blind men and the elephant'; you have no sound card and can't tell what's going on, and I have no broadband connection and I can only guess what's going on!

Sadly, much of the content on this site, in terms of 'evidence' or 'counter-evidence', is inaccessible to me. The other day, it took me 4 hours to download the 'Swedish women go crazy' on the motorway' clip.

The gesture is appreciated though, thanks.

[edit on 29-9-2008 by Merriman Weir]