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U.S., Pakistan at Odds Over Strike in Tribal Area
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Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell defended the U.S. strikes as justified because, he said, U.S. troops in Afghanistan were under fire from forces in Pakistan.
"Every indication we have at this point is that the actions that were taken by U.S. forces were . . . legitimate, in that they were in self-defense," he said. "Our forces . . . came under fire from forces that had come over from the Pakistani side into Afghan territory, and then retreated into Pakistani territory and continued to fire upon our forces, even though we did not pursue them into Pakistan," he said.
Morrell said he did not know who, if anyone, died in the U.S. strikes. "We are going to work to find out who was killed in this attack, and we will be doing so with the Pakistani government," he said.
U.S. officials acknowledged that communications along the border are often difficult, despite efforts by all sides to improve the situation.
"This a complex attack involving . . . an airstrike and artillery and a number of forces . . . along a border that has traditionally been a problem and is often the cause of some confusion as to who the forces are that are involved," Morrell said.
Another U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, put it more bluntly: "This sounds like a mess-up of communication all the way around."
Tyson reported from Washington.
