Report Blames US in Deadly Pakistan Strike

A lack of trust between the United States and Pakistan was the key culprit in a series of blunders that resulted in the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers on Nov. 26, reports the Wall Street Journal. US forces made two major errors that day: not informing the Pakistanis that the 150-man border operation was taking place and, when they checked with Pakistani officials to authorize the subsequent airstrikes, they accidentally provided the wrong coordinates, off by 9 miles.

Pakistan, too, made mistakes, most significantly withholding information about the location of its border posts—a finding that isn't likely to sit well with Pakistan, which was enraged by the incident. US officials also contend that Pakistani forces fired first and should have known from the fighter jets and gunships that their patrol wasn't insurgents, and Pakistani officials refused to take part in the investigation. “The message we’re trying to convey tonight is that were some pretty serious breakdowns all around,” an American official told the New York Times. “How does Pakistan react? We hope we can start moving forward.” (More US-Pakistan relations stories.)