Pakistan: NATO Attack Killed 24 Soldiers

NATO helicopters killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in a predawn raid on a checkpoint in Mohmand, a tribal region on the border with Afghanistan, Pakistan's military said.

In a statement, the miltary called the attack "unprovoked and indiscriminate." It said 14 more soldiers had been wounded.

The U.S.-led coalition said it is looking into the Pakistani claim. The incident took place hours after Gen. John R. Allen, the coalition commander, met with government officials in Pakistan to discuss border issues.

"This incident has my highest personal attention and my commitment to thoroughly investigate it to determine the facts," said Gen. Allen.  "My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan Security Forces who may have been killed or injured."

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has strongly condemned the NATO-ISAF attack on the Pakistani post. On his directions, the matter is being taken up by the Foreign Ministry, in the strongest terms, with NATO and the U.S."

Drivers carrying NATO supplies into Afghanistan from Pakistan reported that local officials in Khyber, the tribal gateway between the countries, were turning them back after the incident. After NATO helicopters killed two Pakistani soldiers in a cross-border raid in the tribal regions in September 2010, Pakistan retaliated by temporarily shutting down supply routes.

Pakistan's military has been fighting Taliban militants in Mohmand over the past year. Army generals complain that militants are able to escape over the border to Afghanistan and have urged North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces to do more on their side of frontier.

NATO and U.S. officials say that Pakistan's army only selectively fights the Taliban and continues to protect factions of the group that stage attacks in Afghanistan.

U.S. and Afghan officials have complained in recent months about live fire on their border positions from Pakistani territory, often from near Pakistan army check-points.

Pakistan denies involvement and says it can't stop militant groups from firing on Afghan positions. Pakistan's army says it is also taking heavy casualties fighting militants.

The U.S., increasingly frustrated by what it claims is Pakistan's inaction against the Taliban, has stepped up cross-border raids and unmanned-drone strikes against Taliban targets on Pakistan soil.