Pakistan action over 'Nato' attack

Pakistani security personnel stop vehicles carrying supplies for Nato forces in neighbouring Afghanistan at a checkpoint in Pakistan (AP)
12 April 2012

Pakistan has blocked vital supply routes for US-led troops in Afghanistan and demanded Washington leave a base used by American drones after coalition aircraft allegedly killed 24 troops at two posts along a mountainous frontier that serves as a safe haven for militants.

The incident was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a "grave infringement" of the country's sovereignty, and it could make it even more difficult for the US to enlist Pakistan's help in pushing Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks.

A Nato spokesman said it was likely that coalition air strikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest friendly fire incident by Nato against Pakistani troops since the Afghan war began a decade ago.

A prolonged closure of Pakistan's two Afghan border crossings to Nato supplies could cause serious problems for the coalition. The US, which is the largest member of the Nato force in Afghanistan, ships more than 30% of its non-lethal supplies through Pakistan.

The coalition has alternative routes through Central Asia into northern Afghanistan, but they are costlier and less efficient.

Pakistan temporarily closed one of its Afghan crossings to Nato supplies last year after US helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers. Suspected militants took advantage of the impasse to launch attacks against stranded or rerouted trucks carrying Nato supplies. The government reopened the border after about 10 days when the US apologised.

Pakistan announced the latest border crossings to Nato in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the cabinet's defence committee, chaired by prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

It also said that within 15 days the US must vacate Shamsi Air Base in south-western Baluchistan province. The US uses the base to service drones that target al Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal region when they cannot return to their bases inside Afghanistan because of weather conditions or mechanical difficulty, said US and Pakistani officials.

The government also plans to review all diplomatic, military and intelligence co-operation with the US and other Nato forces, according to the statement issued after the defence committee meeting.

In a joint statement, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and defence secretary Leon Panetta said they had each spoken to their Pakistani counterparts to express their condolences for the loss of life.

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