FRIENDLY FIRE

Pakistan Gave Go-Ahead on U.S. Raid

That ultimately killed 24 soldiers.

Following the worst friendly-fire incident in 10 years of war with Afghanistan, U.S. officials have revealed that their counterparts in Pakistan had actually permitted the American airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani troops on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Pakistani officials at the border-control center had given the U.S. permission to fire back when attacked by who they thought were Taliban militants. It turned out, according to U.S. officials, that it was Pakistani military personnel who’d fired at the American commandos. Pakistani representatives, however, deny that any of the country’s military forces were in the area when officials gave the U.S. the go-ahead for attack.