Pakistan buries troops amid fury over NATO strike
By Express / Reuters
Published: November 27, 2011
The families of soldiers who were killed when Nato attacked a Pakistani checkpost in the Mohmand Agency on Saturday, buried their loved ones on Sunday.
The relatives of Major Mujahid Hussain and Captain Usman Ali said that the soldiers sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country, and they were proud of their sacrifices.
Major Mujahid Hussain hailed from Larkana, and had joined the Pakistan army nine years ago. His body will be taken to his native village after being honoured at the General Head Quarters and Pannu Aqil cantonment.
His family said that they will not hesitate to offer any sacrifice for Pakistan.
Captain Usman Ali from Sahiwal city, left behind a widow and a young daughter. The 23-year-old solder got married last year and was recently promoted to the rank of captain. Usmans father said his son joined the Pakistan army due to his patriotism.
Nato helicopters and fighter jets attacked two Pakistan military outposts on Saturday, killing 24 soldiers in what Pakistan said was an unprovoked assault. Nato and US officials expressed regret about the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers, but the exact circumstances of the attack were unclear.
Fury over attack
The attack was the latest perceived provocation by the United States, starting with the secret raid which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May, and the question is whether ties will break or whether the two sides will remain stuck in a bad marriage of convenience.
US stabs Pakistan in the back, again, said a headline in the Daily Times, reflecting fury over the attack in Pakistan, a regional power seen as critical to US efforts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.
Television stations showed the coffins of the soldiers draped in green and white Pakistani flags in a prayer ceremony at the headquarters of the regional command in Peshawar.
AFP Photo