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Pakistan protest at US shelling | Pakistan protest at US shelling |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Pakistan's military has criticised US-led forces in Afghanistan for firing artillery shells across the border, killing two women and two children. | |
Five shells fired by coalition forces fighting militants landed in North Waziristan region, Pakistani army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. | Five shells fired by coalition forces fighting militants landed in North Waziristan region, Pakistani army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. |
The US military said the strike was in response to an "imminent threat". | |
US and Pakistani forces have been battling Taleban guerrillas along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border. | US and Pakistani forces have been battling Taleban guerrillas along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border. |
The border is not clearly marked in many places and is frequently traversed by the ethnic Pashtun tribesmen who fill the Taleban's ranks. | |
The Pakistani army spokesman said a shell fired from Afghanistan had struck a house in the village of Kangrai in North Waziristan. | The Pakistani army spokesman said a shell fired from Afghanistan had struck a house in the village of Kangrai in North Waziristan. |
"The coalition forces were firing at a group of militants when five shells landed in Pakistan, destroying a house and killing two women and two children," Maj Gen Abbas told AFP news agency. | |
He said Pakistan had complained about the incident but did not believe it was intentional. | He said Pakistan had complained about the incident but did not believe it was intentional. |
A US military spokesman in Afghanistan told the BBC the attack had taken place in response to an "imminent threat" in Pakistan. | |
Maj Chris Belcher also said the US had carried out similar cross-border strikes in the past. | |
In a separate interview with AFP, Maj Belcher said the attack had targeted militants led by a Taleban commander, Sirajuddin Haqqani. | |
He told the agency the Pakistani government had been notified of the attack immediately after it happened. | |
British air strike | |
According to Reuters news agency, the attack prompted some 2,000 people to take to the streets in protest in the nearby Bajaur region. | |
The US has stationed thousands of troops to fight Taleban and al-Qaeda guerrillas in southern and eastern Afghanistan. | The US has stationed thousands of troops to fight Taleban and al-Qaeda guerrillas in southern and eastern Afghanistan. |
Thousands of troops supplied by US allies are also operating in Afghanistan under Nato command. | Thousands of troops supplied by US allies are also operating in Afghanistan under Nato command. |
British forces in the south-western province of Helmand said on Wednesday that they had accidentally killed four Afghan civilians in an air strike. | British forces in the south-western province of Helmand said on Wednesday that they had accidentally killed four Afghan civilians in an air strike. |
The Taleban was driven from power in Afghanistan by a US-led invasion in 2001. | The Taleban was driven from power in Afghanistan by a US-led invasion in 2001. |
The hardline Islamist militia has since mounted a comeback, with its followers mounting bomb attacks and assassinations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. | The hardline Islamist militia has since mounted a comeback, with its followers mounting bomb attacks and assassinations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. |
Pakistan last year accused US-led forces pursuing insurgents in Afghanistan of firing a missile that landed in North Waziristan, killing 10 people. | |
The US has urged Pakistan to boost security along the border and fight the militants who seek shelter there. |
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