Fury in Pakistan After NATO Attack Kills 28 Soldiers

Attacks in Mohmand Province Targeted Two Army Bases

Long stretched to their breaking point, ties between the United States and Pakistan look to have frayed dramatically overnight as NATO warplanes and helicopters attacked a pair of Army bases in Pakistan’s Mohmand Agency, killing at least 28 soldiers.

“This is an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Prime Minister Gilani declared, and the Pakistani government has already halted all supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan in protest over the attack.

NATO spokesmen, for their part, appear mostly ambivalent about the killings, saying that NATO warplanes had been called in due to an “incident” near the border and that it was “highly likely” they attacked Pakistan’s bases during the course of that operation.

Pakistan’s Army has promised to launch an “effective response” to NATO’s attack, saying it was unprovoked and uncalled for. The foreign ministry says it will issue a complaint in the “strongest terms” to NATO for the killings.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.