Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops

At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops were apparently fighting alongside the Taliban, the Washington Post reports.

Afghan troops were attempting to set up a check point in a village extremely close to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border when the Taliban opened fire. Pakistan forces soon joined the extremists, fighting “side by side,” a Taliban spokesman said. The Afghans called for an air strike, and got one. Pakistan’s military is furious, saying the bombing “hit at the very basis of cooperation” in the countries’ anti-terrorism alliance. (More Pakistan stories.)