Posted on 09/03/2008 1:18:48 PM PDT by gandalftb
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 -- At least 20 people were killed in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday after U.S. and Afghan troops crossed from Afghanistan to pursue Taliban insurgents in an early morning attack that marked the first known instance in which U.S. forces conducted an operation on Pakistani soil.
The arrival of three U.S. helicopters in the village of Musa Nika, clearly inside the Pakistani border, drew a sharp response from Pakistani officials.
"We strongly object to the incursion of ISAF troops on Pakistani territory," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief spokesman for the Pakistani military.
According to Pakistani military and other sources, the attack began a little after 3 a.m. when three U.S. army helicopters carrying American and Afghan troops landed in Musa Nika in the Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan. According to a Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on the incident, several of the troops then left the helicopters and launched a ground assault on three houses where Taliban fighters were believed to be hiding.
One of the homes belonged to a villager named Pao Jan Ahmedzai Wazir, a local tribesman, said Anwar Shah, a resident of a neighboring village. Several women and children who were inside Wazir's house and two other homes nearby were killed when U.S. and Afghan troops opened fire on the buildings. "The situation there is very terrible. People are trying to take out the dead bodies," Shah said.
Maj. Murad Khan, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, said Pakistani authorities have verified that an attack took place in South Waziristan a little before 4 a.m.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
It begins.... Open hot-pursuit, ground counter-attack in Pakistan. This is the game-changer in Stan.
Let's get it on.
If you house our enemies, you will die with them.
A sibling is in the ‘Stan. Godspeed!
This is also designed to put pressure on Pakistan to address the ISI problems and its appeasement policies with the Taliban.
God bless and keep safe your family.
They are either with the Taliban/Islamist Terrorists, or against them.
If they are incapable of “controlling or exterminating” them, we are.
If they won't attack in force, then they must deny them sanctuary and condone our attacks....
Simply put — Pakistan MUST decide to be an active and cooperating ally or an enemy....
Yup!
I wonder if this has anything to do with Petraus becoming the Southern Command CINC?
(sarc)Nope, probably just a coincidence. (/sarc)
Not a coincidence that our previous hot pursuit by air attack only up to 10 km. inland has expanded to air insertion/ground attack.
Well, Karzai said he’d send troops to Pakistan and it looks like he did. Wow! A politician who keeps his promises!
Thanks for the update. Good to hear that the gloves are starting to be taken off.
Pakistanis claim US helicopter-borne forces assaulted village in South Waziristan ( Unconfirmed )
Stupid muzzies forced him out and lost the only thing holding the US back.
Filthy disgusting animals.
Payback time.
Usually it's us. So it's good to see the dark side reduced to strongly worded statements.
I heard on the radio that the U.S. has just confirmed this raid. It wasn’t confirmed before?
Unfortunately, G’tmo isn’t big enough to fit the entire country of Pakistan.
We strongly object to the incursion of ISAF troops on Pakistani territory,” said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas
Do something about it.
Beware of anything Karen De Young writes. She was a propagandist for the Marxist Sandinistas during the war in Nicaragua which led to the overthrow of Somoza.
According to her, the Sandinistas were just nationalists, yeah, just like Castro.
She also participated in the marxist Institute for Policy Studies programs.
These articles (one appeared Sunday) are aimed at blaming the US for killing innocent women and children and old men (gee I used to read that from Radio Hanoi broadcast printouts), and it is another support effort for Obama’s claims that the US is “airraiding innocent villages).”
With the Wash Post is it not “trust but verify”. It is “Never trust”.
Since Pakistan doesn’t control the territory, it ain’t Pakistani territory — any more than India’s Kashmir is. Thanks Ernest.
Im hearing some things on my end that the US wouldn’t risk such a risky operation into Pakistan unless it was going after a very very high value target. There has been a lot going on in this region lately, we need to keep an eye on this...
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