US Bombs Pakistani Border Patrol (B-52)

BBC ^ | 12-31-2002

[blam]

Tuesday, 31 December, 2002, 10:40 GMT

US bombs Pakistani border patrol

The US conducts regular missions in eastern Afghanistan

US forces in Afghanistan bombed a Pakistani border patrol after they were shot at by a Pakistani soldier, the US military has revealed. A Pakistani border scout opened fire with a G-3 rifle after the US patrol asked him to return to the Pakistan side of the border.

US military statement

A statement said that a B-52 dropped a bomb near the border town of Shkin after a Pakistani guard opened fire and wounded an American soldier.

He started shooting after being asked to return to his side of the border.

US forces regularly patrol the area looking for suspected al-Qaeda or Taleban forces.

Sensitive border

The US soldier who was injured has been transferred to a military hospital in Germany.

His condition is not serious.

It was not clear why the Pakistani soldier had opened fire in the incident, which took place on Sunday.

The area was the scene of a gunbattle last week in which an American soldier died after US forces came under attack while on night patrol.

He was the first American to be killed in Afghanistan on active duty for seven months.

The attackers are reported to have fled across the border into Pakistan.

Pakistan has pledged to clamp down on the movement of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban members across the border in order to help the US war on terror.

Arms find

In another development, international peacekeepers in the Afghan capital, Kabul, have seized a large cache of weapons at a house in the city.

The weapons included 88 mortar rounds and 30 rocket-propelled grenades, according to a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

Isaf said the cache had been removed and would be destroyed.

It was unclear who owned the weapons.

[blam]

We must have at least one B-52 'loitering' over the area at all times?

[milestogo]

indexing..

[DoctorHydrocal]

A statement said that a B-52 dropped a bomb near the border town of Shkin after a Pakistani guard opened fire and wounded an American soldier.

"A" bomb? Like, 'one' (1) bomb? How does a B-52 drop just one bomb?

[angkor]

It was not clear why the Pakistani soldier had opened fire in the incident

Oh, I think its clear:

I-S-L-A-M

[pad 34]

Very carefully, with regrets from the AC.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The Radar Navigator selects one bomb on his AN/AYQ-10

and then

[TheBattman]

No, more like Pakistan is harboring the Al -Qaeda much like Afghanistan did.

I would bet dollar to dognuts that these are the same guys that fired on US troops last week. The Pak military is full of Taliban/Al-Qaeda sympathizers (and probably members too..)

[Aaron_A]

about freakin' time

[swarthyguy]

Great news. Except for the injury and Sgt Checo's recent death.

It'll be the uniformed boys who'll have to take this battle to the enemy, regardless of political considerations in DC and Islamabad.

[sarasmom]

And the uniformed guys in theatre really dont care if the enemy is a recently discovered political protected class.

Pakistans Islamic terrorists need to wake up and smell the "daisey's", or any other ordinance delivered by USA forces, to convince them that murderous jihad against the USA is not a real good idea.

[El Gato]

Very nice. However the US (defenselink.mil) is saying the bomb was an LGB, dropped by an AV-8B, not a JDAM dropped by a BUFF.

[swarthyguy]

>>a recently discovered political protected class.

It not new. This was talked about by British commandos and hinted at by Americans this past spring. The Times of London had reported the British decided to withdraw their SAS from Afghanistan after conducting hot pursuit into alqaeda dens in Pakistan was a nono. This was last spring. Only senior policy directives by politicians would stop the US and UK commandos from doing their job.

But this will make the contradictions of our political and military policy interesting, to say the least.

And it's not only jihadis, it's the pakistani army that is jihadist, despite the whitewash put on it.