The Us Actions Which Caused Pakistani Casualties On Their Border
Right now its old news that the US and Pakistan are at odds because of a recent friendly fire incident which resulted in the deaths of about two dozen Pakistani troops. There have been many questions asked about the incident and opinions are flowing freely also. I have written several articles before now stating my own personal opinion which is that the US and UN forces responded to what was a perceived attack on them from the area where Pakistani troops were located.
As a former US troop and operations officer I know all too well the safeguards that the United States has put into place to avoid this very type of friendly fire incident. Our safety precautions are so detailed and intricate that many times that they frustrate our allies when we train together, therefore it was very difficult for me to believe that the Pakistanis were not at fault in some way.
It is a well known fact that the Pakistanis have allowed the Taliban or al-Qaeda to shoot at US troops from close locations so that the US couldnt shoot back. I believe that this is exactly what happened this time but the difference was that our troops didnt perceive the presence of the Pakistani troops before they returned the fire.
An investigation into the attack concluded that a combination of mistrust and bad maps led to the airstrikes on two Pakistani outposts.
The Defense Department said that the investigation found U.S. forces reacted in self defense and with appropriate force after being fired upon from the direction of the Pakistani border. This means that they were provoked by something to shoot back in self defense. US troops have strict rules of engagement that they have to follow in times of war and that a failure to follow them will result in strict disciplinary action.
NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan forces use the joint border control centers to share information and coordinate security operations.
Since the attack the Pakistani government has shut down NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and thrown the U.S. out of its Shamsi Air base in southwestern Baluchistan province. The base was used to maintain drones used in strikes against insurgents hiding in safe havens in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan frontier.
The incident occurred after a company-sized joint U.S.Afghan commando unit operating in the Afghan side of the border in eastern Kunar province came under fire from the direction of the border.
The unit, which could not withdraw safely due to the nature of the terrain, then attempted to determine that the fire wasn't coming from anywhere near Pakistani positions, in order to avoid hitting them, the official said.
At that point "mistakes were made" because different mapping systems were used to determine the exact location of the firefight, he said. Discrepancies on how the border was marked on different maps led the unit to believe they could safely return fire. They then called in airstrikes from F-15 fighter bombers, Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 Spectre gunship. Now if you ask me this investigation is lacking in details which should be disturbingly obvious to you also. This doesnt mean that the results are untrue but it shows that there is care not to make accusations or wrong statements. Military Ring Express
As a former US troop and operations officer I know all too well the safeguards that the United States has put into place to avoid this very type of friendly fire incident. Our safety precautions are so detailed and intricate that many times that they frustrate our allies when we train together, therefore it was very difficult for me to believe that the Pakistanis were not at fault in some way.
It is a well known fact that the Pakistanis have allowed the Taliban or al-Qaeda to shoot at US troops from close locations so that the US couldnt shoot back. I believe that this is exactly what happened this time but the difference was that our troops didnt perceive the presence of the Pakistani troops before they returned the fire.
An investigation into the attack concluded that a combination of mistrust and bad maps led to the airstrikes on two Pakistani outposts.
The Defense Department said that the investigation found U.S. forces reacted in self defense and with appropriate force after being fired upon from the direction of the Pakistani border. This means that they were provoked by something to shoot back in self defense. US troops have strict rules of engagement that they have to follow in times of war and that a failure to follow them will result in strict disciplinary action.
NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan forces use the joint border control centers to share information and coordinate security operations.
Since the attack the Pakistani government has shut down NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and thrown the U.S. out of its Shamsi Air base in southwestern Baluchistan province. The base was used to maintain drones used in strikes against insurgents hiding in safe havens in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan frontier.
The incident occurred after a company-sized joint U.S.Afghan commando unit operating in the Afghan side of the border in eastern Kunar province came under fire from the direction of the border.
The unit, which could not withdraw safely due to the nature of the terrain, then attempted to determine that the fire wasn't coming from anywhere near Pakistani positions, in order to avoid hitting them, the official said.
At that point "mistakes were made" because different mapping systems were used to determine the exact location of the firefight, he said. Discrepancies on how the border was marked on different maps led the unit to believe they could safely return fire. They then called in airstrikes from F-15 fighter bombers, Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 Spectre gunship. Now if you ask me this investigation is lacking in details which should be disturbingly obvious to you also. This doesnt mean that the results are untrue but it shows that there is care not to make accusations or wrong statements. Military Ring Express
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