First NATO had complained of firing by Pakistani post on its choppers in Afghanistan and now pentagon denies that its helis were fired upon
U.S. denies copters attacked by Pakistan crossed border
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani military fired warning shots at two helicopters that crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan, and the helicopters returned fire before retreating, according to a Pakistani military statement.
Officials with the Pentagon and NATO's International Security Assistance Force, however, said the copters never entered Pakistan. U.S. officials also denied the helicopters fired back.
Even though the Pakistani military said it fired "anticipatory warning shots" and NATO used the term "small-arms fire," Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said the military fired only flares.
Appearing before reporters in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Zardari was asked why the Pakistani military was firing on NATO helicopters.
"They are flares," he replied, "just to make sure that they know they crossed the border line"
Asked if such warnings will continue, he said, "Sometimes the border is so mixed that they don't realize that they crossed the border."
Off camera, Rice said "the border is very unclear" and "inhospitable."
A U.S. official familiar with details of the incident said the helicopters were U.S. Army OH-58D Kiowa Warriors that were part of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.
The pilots reported that shots were fired by forces in Pakistani military uniforms at a building where a Pakistani flag was flying, the official said.
"When the helicopters passed over our border post and were well within Pakistani territory, our own security forces fired anticipatory warning shots," according to the Pakistani military. "On this, the helicopters returned fire and flew back."
The U.S. official familiar with the incident and a senior defense official at the Pentagon said the helicopter crews did not fire back.
"We are confident our helicopters were on the Afghan side of the border, and we have no report they fired back," the defense official said.
The ISAF said in a statement that two of its helicopters were fired upon, but said the helicopters never entered Pakistan. The statement did not say whether the U.S. helicopters returned fire.
"ISAF helicopters received small-arms fire from a Pakistan military checkpoint along the border near Tanai district, Khowst," the news release said. "At no time did ISAF helicopters cross into Pakistani airspace."
There were no reports of injuries or damage. Both the ISAF and Pakistani military said they are working to resolve the issue.
The helicopters were operating about a kilometer from the border, the U.S. official familiar with the details said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman also said the helicopters never left Afghanistan.
"The Pakistanis need to provide the U.S. a reason why this took place," Whitman said.
Several months ago, President Bush authorized U.S. special forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without seeking Islamabad's permission, according to media reports.
Last week, Pakistani President Zardari said his country would not allow foreign nations to violate its sovereignty to pursue terrorists.
"We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism," the president said in his first speech to Parliament.
His remark followed a similar declaration from Pakistan's military chief, Gen. Parvez Kayani, who said Pakistan's territorial integrity "will be defended at all cost, and no external force is allowed to conduct operations."
The senior defense official said the Pentagon is trying to determine if
Pakistan is acting on those statements.
"What we don't know if this was just a case of trigger-happy members of the Frontier corps," said the senior defense official at the Pentagon, "or whether, in fact, the Pakistani military does have orders to fire on our helicopters."
The U.S. official familiar with the incident said top U.S. commanders will be talking to the Pakistani military about the incident to determine if there was a misunderstanding and to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The official said this is the first verified incident of Pakistani forces firing on U.S. troops. There were at least two reports out of Pakistan in recent days about similar incidents, but the United States has said neither of those reports is true.
Jane's Military Database describes the Kiowa Warrior as a two-seat "scout and attack" helicopter. Globalsecurity.org says, "It is designed to operate autonomously at standoff ranges providing armed reconnaissance, command and control, and target acquisition and designation under day/night, hot and adverse weather conditions."
