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November 27, 2011 in Nation/World
Pakistan closes base, key routes to NATO
Decision follows alleged friendly fire
A guard stands near Afghanistan-bound NATO trucks at the Pakistani border town of Torkham on Saturday.
(Full-size photo)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan has blocked vital supply routes for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan and demanded Washington vacate a base used by American drones after coalition aircraft allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops at two posts along a mountainous frontier that serves as a safe haven for militants.
The incident Saturday was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a “grave infringement” of the country’s sovereignty, and it could make it even more difficult for the U.S. to enlist Pakistan’s help in pushing Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks.
A NATO spokesman said it was likely that coalition airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest friendly fire incident by NATO against Pakistani troops since the Afghan war began a decade ago.
A prolonged closure of Pakistan’s two Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies could cause serious problems for the coalition. The U.S. ships more than 30 percent of its nonlethal supplies through Pakistan. The coalition has alternative routes through Central Asia into northern Afghanistan, but they are costlier and less efficient.
Pakistan temporarily closed one of its Afghan crossings to NATO supplies last year after U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers. The government reopened the border after about 10 days when the U.S. apologized. But the reported casualties are much greater this time, and the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has severely deteriorated over the last year.
The government announced it closed its border crossings to NATO in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet’s defense committee.
It also said that within 15 days the U.S. must vacate Shamsi Air Base, which is in southwestern Baluchistan province. The U.S. uses the base to service drones that target al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan’s tribal region when they cannot return to their bases inside Afghanistan because of weather or mechanical difficulty.
The government also plans to review all diplomatic, military and intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and other NATO forces, according to the statement.
The White House said that senior U.S. officials had expressed their condolences.
A spokesman for NATO forces, Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, said Afghan and coalition troops were operating in the border area of eastern Afghanistan when “a tactical situation” prompted them to call in close air support. It is “highly likely” that the airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, he told BBC television.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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greyhound2 on November 27 at 6:25 a.m.
The phoney mask of Pakistan is finally coming off to reveal what a treacherous monster they really are.
Jethro_toll on November 27 at 6:54 a.m.
The phoney mask of the United States is finally coming off to reveal what a treacherous monster it really is.
If they killed 24 of our service personnel we would be a litte more than just upset; Seems that NATO (Comprised of 60% of US troops and funding) has a little problem with Friendly Fire. Guess we didnt learn that from Vietnam did we?
If its so dangerous there, then why are we there? Who invited us to invade their country? Where is the congressional vote declaring war on Afghanistan? What is our end strategy? How do we get out of that mess? Whose paying for it? Seems there are a lot of unanswered questions that are not being asked, nor answered.
greyhound2 on November 27 at 11:35 a.m.
Pakistan was formed after World War II by the British. When India moved to independance, the British moved Muslims to West Pakistan and East Pakistan to seperate them to keep them from killing the Hindus in India. East Pakistan changed its name to Bangladish and West Pakistan became just Pakistan.
Just because Pakistan is accepting billions in foreign aid money from America, doesn’t mean they won’t slit your throat at the very first opportunity. The only reason American troops are there is to clean out a snake pit of vicious vipers.