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| Laser bombs dropped in Mohmand attack |
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Sunday, June 29, 2008
By Qudssia Akhlaque
ISLAMABAD: The US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan dropped laser-guided bombs inside Pakistan territory in the course of the June 10 air strike in the Mohmand Agency where American F-15 fighter jets conducted three sorties, defence sources revealed in background interviews.
The June 10 air strike on a Pakistani security check post at Gora Prai in the Mohmand Agency resulted in the killing of 11 Pakistani soldiers, including one officer, and around a dozen civilians.
The impact of repeated aerial attacks by the US-led Nato-ISAF forces was so severe that seven of the nine bunkers at the Gora Prai check post were destroyed, military sources say, adding that coordinates of the Pakistan military post were available with the coalition forces.
The joint investigation into the deadly attack is currently underway at the US airbase in Bagram, the main base of the US-led coalition troops and the Nato-Isaf forces in Afghanistan. A Pakistani team headed by Director Military Operations reached Bagram on Tuesday for the probe after both sides agreed on the terms of reference and mechanism for the joint investigation. The team comprises senior officials and experts from the GHQ.
The commander of the US Central Command directed the conduct of an investigation into this incident last week and offered the Pakistan Army to participate in this probe after a strong protest was lodged by Islamabad at the top diplomatic, military and political level.
The probe is being conducted under the Tripartite Commission mechanism with senior military representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Coalition forces in Afghanistan and the Nato-ISAF.
A joint report of the two teams, which is based on a visit to the site of the incident, transcripts of wireless communication between security forces and a video footage of the incident by coalition forces in Afghanistan, is said to be nearing completion. However, it is not clear whether the contents of the report will be made public.
When the military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas was asked about it, he said it would essentially be a political decision. On the other hand, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rahman Malik told the National Assembly last week that the findings of the joint probe would be shared with the house.
On Thursday, when the Foreign Office spokesman was asked at a weekly news briefing if the findings of the joint investigation into the Mohmand Agency attack will be binding on both sides, his response was: “The findings of the joint investigation team will be implemented.”
Pakistan and US military officials maintain divergent positions on the June 10 strike. Pakistan says it was an “unprovoked attack” but the US side insists it was “legitimate” and it acted in “self-defence” after the coalition forces were ambushed by the militants, who fled towards Pakistan side. Pakistan, however, contests this claim, pointing to the scale of the air power deployed by the coalition forces, which caused heavy casualties on the Pakistan side. Also, military sources strongly reject the notion that it was in any way a retaliatory attack or an accident.
Meanwhile, alarming signals from Washington are that this may be the beginning of more deadly air strikes by the US-led coalition forces in Pakistan’s troubled tribal zone to prevent militant incursions into Afghanistan.
Reportedly, senior US military officials in Pentagon hinted last week that the June 10 strike was not a knee-jerk reaction but a planned operation, which may be repeated whenever militants attempt to cross over to Afghanistan.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
