NATO Pulls A Rehman Malik, Blames ‘Taliban’ :)

U.S. suspects forces lured into Pakistan raid

(AP)  WASHINGTON – NATO forces may have been lured into attacking friendly Pakistani border posts in a calculated maneuver by the Taliban, according to preliminary U.S. military reports on the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the Afghanistan war began.

The NATO airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend in an apparent case of mistaken identity, The Associated Press has learned.

A joint U.S.-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban early Saturday morning. While pursuing the enemy in the poorly marked border area, the patrol seems to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment and called in a NATO gunship and attack helicopters to open fire.

U.S. officials say the reports suggest the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the U.S. and NATO forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border. Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters.

Of course they too cannot lie straight! This talk of “poorly marked border area” and “the patrol seems to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment” is utter BULL SHIT (see this where it  states “There are four Pakistan and Isaf Afghanistan joint coordination centres, and the attack took place despite procedures being in place, they said. They said there had been no violation by Pakistan on the Mohmand Agency border. Nato and Isaf were aware  of the border check posts in the area and had fired on them from 12:05am to 2:15am.“)

That this is all bullshit is also clear from the statement: “Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters”

BTW: In telling this lie, they for the first time admit it was a JOINT U.S.-AFGHAN patrol — so U.S. TROOPS WERE ON THE GROUND AT LEAST A MILE IN. And how does a foot patrol march that far in by mistake in that nasty mountain area at midnight is itself a mystery (actually it is not; here I believe the Pakistan Army that the attack was deliberate, no question about it. Why? Anyone’s guess!)