Pakistan expresses concern over incursions NATO, Afghan militants

[News_Editor]

Pakistan expresses concern over incursions NATO, Afghan militants

2011-06-18 08:47:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISLAMABAD (BNO NEWS) -- Pakistan on Friday said it has lodged a protest with the United States and Afghanistan over border incursions by NATO aircraft and Afghan militants, the Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said in two statements that it expressed "serious concern" to the US embassy in Islamabad over an alleged air incursion by NATO aircraft in the Mohmand tribal area. According to the ministry, NATO aircraft attacked a Pakistani military post in South Mohmand, located 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) away from the border with Afghanistan.

The press statement also said that a joint inquiry has been requested and that the matter has been taken up with the United States and NATO on both military and diplomatic tracks. It gave no other details.

The ministry also summoned a top Afghan official to lodge a protest about an insurgent incursion into the Bajur tribal region on early Thursday morning. It said that up to 150 Afghan militants attacked a village in Pakistan's northwest tribal area, killing five people and injuring at least eight others.

The attackers opened fire at local residents using rockets, mortars and machine guns. The tribal people returned fire and the two sides engaged in a gunfight which lasted about 30 minutes. "The Government of Afghanistan was asked to prevent such cross-border incidents from occurring in the future," the Pakistani statement said.

U.S. and Afghan officials did not immediately comment.

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