Pakistan strongly condemns cross-border killing by coalition forces

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-04 00:08

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan strongly condemned cross-border killing by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on Wednesday, the army said in a statement.

File photo shows a US Army "gunner" looking out from a helicopter flying over Afghanistan. Foreign commandos from Afghanistan backed by three helicopter gunships carried out a pre-dawn attack inside Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 20 people, including women and children, a provincial governor said. [Agencies]

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, ISAF troops in two helicopters landed at a village near Angoor Adda, South Waziristan Agency and as per reports received so far, killed seven innocent civilians, according to the statement.

This completely unprovoked act of killing is strongly condemned and the loss of precious lives is regretted, said the statement.

An army spokesman said in the statement that he blamed the Coalition Forces for this violent act and said that such acts of aggression did not serve the common cause of fighting terrorism and militancy in the area.

"A strong protest by Foreign Office has been lodged with Government of United States," said the statement.

Pakistan Army has also lodged a strong protest with Office of the Defence Representative in Pakistan (ODRP). "We reserve the right of self defence and retaliation to protect our citizens and soldiers against aggression," the statement said.

Private TV channel DAWN NEWS reported that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces came in three helicopters and landed in South Waziristan and attacked three houses, leaving 15 people dead, including three women and four children.