Missed on the 26th ...US Ground forces strike inside Pakistan

What was it TR said, again?

19 Taliban killed as US-led coalition strikes in Pakistan

US says Pak permission sought before attack; ISPR rejects claim
KABUL: US-led forces and Afghan troops struck Taliban positions inside Pakistan in fresh clashes with the Islamic militia that left at least 19 local Taliban dead, security forces said on Sunday.

The US-led coalition said it received permission from Pakistan to attack across the border on Saturday, but this was denied by the chief military spokesman in Islamabad. Afghan and coalition forces used mortars and artillery fire to destroy insurgent attacking positions on both sides of the border after a military post in Afghanistan came under attack, the coalition said in a statement.

“The Pakistani military gave permission for the Afghan National Security Forces to fire on the targets located within Pakistan,” it said. Six insurgent positions were destroyed, three on each side of the border, and more than a dozen insurgents were killed.

A Pakistani military spokesman denied any permission was given. “There was no attack, no firing from our side of the border. And there was no permission asked by them or given by us,” ISPR spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said.

US military spokeswoman Captain Vanessa Bowman insisted to AFP however that “this was fully coordinated with Pakistan and agreed on.” “There is a very close working relationship (with Pakistan) to eliminate this kind of threat,” she said.

Pakistani officials have said repeatedly they would not allow any foreign troops to hunt militants on its soil, and insist they are doing what they can to hunt down the extremists. US President George W Bush this month refused to rule out unilateral US strikes on Pakistani soil if specific intelligence pinpointed top al-Qaeda leaders. But he also expressed confidence in the efforts of Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led war on terror.

Talking to Online, the ISPR spokesperson termed the claim of the coalition forces baseless and said Pakistan did not allow anyone to conduct any operation in its territory, adding that the Pakistan Army had the ability to protect its borders. He said that it had been made clear a number of times that no foreign army would be allowed to conduct action in Pakistani territories.

AFP report follows. Notice how QUIET this all is?

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