A senior military official says the force is temporarily pulling back some of its troops from centers meant to co-ordinate activity with international forces across the Afghan border. The official said on Tuesday the troops are returning for several days of ``consultation'' to determine how to improve co-ordination with Nato forces in Afghanistan after coalition airstrikes last month killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
US military officials earlier expressed concern that the move to pull out soldiers could hamper efforts to liaise with Pakistani forces, increasing the risk something could go wrong again. Both the Pakistani and the US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.