AP
June 12, 2008
WASHINGTON - US airstrikes into Pakistan that may have accidentally killed allied fighters have upset the already fragile relations between Washington and Islamabad over how to stem violence in the lawless border region.
US officials said yesterday that three aircraft launched about a dozen bombs into Pakistan after militants attacked coalition forces in a wooded area near a checkpoint. Conflicting reports about the Tuesday clash were being sorted out by the US military. But the Pakistani army said the airstrikes killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops.
The incident has inflamed anti-US sentiment in Pakistan, where a new government is trying to reach out to tribal leaders in the border region.
