NATO Choppers Intrude into Pakistan near the area of North Waziristan

NATO Choppers Intrude into Pakistan near the area of North Waziristan

Pakistani officials on Wednesday accused NATO helicopters of violating Pakistan’s air space over the Taliban and Haqqani stronghold of North Waziristan, along the Afghan border.

“Two helicopters intruded several kilometres inside Pakistan territory in Datta Khel town around 2:00 am (2100 GMT Tuesday),” a military official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The helicopters flew in from the eastern Afghan province Paktia and circled the bordering village of Zoi Nara for more than five minutes, an official in the provincial capital Peshawar said.

Another military official said the choppers left after “warning shots” were fired by Pakistan troops.

Dildar Khan, a tribal police official in Datta Khel, said the helicopters flew at a relatively low altitude and returned after the warning shots.

Militants are dug in on both sides of the border and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week called on Pakistan to do more to squeeze militant havens on its territory, particularly those of the Haqqani network.

However, a spokesman for NATO’s US-led International Security Assistance Force told AFP that their “operational reporting” showed that no ISAF helicopter crossed the border, which is unmarked in many places.

Mark Stroh US Embassy spokesperson said that ISAF and colleagues in Pakistan who coordinate with them have no record about the incursion into Pakistani airspace, hoping that it was just a matter of miscommunication.

Responding to a question on whether any action will be taken against officials if these reports are proven correct, he said that he cannot comment on it and that the military will take necessary action, if there was an incursion.

On Monday, NATO said that 200 Taliban-linked militants were killed or captured in military operations along the border designed to hit the insurgency hard ahead of the winter, when rebels retreat to their safe havens.

NATO commanders have reported a huge increase in rocket attacks from Pakistani territory over the summer. Pakistani officials have also complained about an increase in cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.

Earlier, an Indian Army helicopter that ‘strayed’ into Pakistan territory was returned with four army officials aboard after the courtesy of refuelling by the Pakistan Army.

The chopper was carrying three officers and one enlisted man. It was forced to land in Ahmedabad, a small town in Gilgit-Baltistan, at around 1 pm.  An army official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the helicopter, along with the four Indian military officials, was allowed to return after “intervention at the highest level.”

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=1644

Posted by Ammar Ahmad on Oct 26 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry