Anti-US sentiments were running high in Pakistan on Sunday as the country buried 24 of its soldiers killed in a Nato airstrike a day earlier. The two Nato supply routes in the south-western province of Balochistan and the north-western tribal district of Khyber Agency account for about 40 per cent of all Nato supplies delivered to Afghanistan.
Reliance on such routes has been reduced in recent years, with Nato seeking to establish alternative routes through central Asian states. The decision to close the Pakistani routes comes after Nato helicopters and jets attacked two border posts, killing at least 24 troops in Mohmand Agency, one of the seven Pakistani tribal districts.
US Ambassador to Islamabad Cameron Munter was summoned late Saturday to receive a formal protest. The next day, Pakistan also lodged a protest with Afghanistan.
Nato's secretary general has offered his condolences to Pakistan's prime minister, describing Saturday's Nato airstrike as a "tragic unintended incident." The latest airstrike has further strained already difficult relations between Pakistan and the United States. Ties have been uneasy since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in a US raid in Abbottabad. That unannounced military incursion upset officials as well as the general population and embarassed the military. Regular unmanned US drone strikes at targets in the tribal areas are also regarded as a violation of national sovereignty.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.