US suspects NATO forces lured by Taliban into deadly raid

[xchrom]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-suspects-NATO-forces-lured-by-Taliban-into-deadly-raid/articleshow/10915853.cms

WASHINGTON: NATO forces may have been lured into attacking friendly Pakistani border posts in a calculated maneuver by the Taliban, according to preliminary US military reports on the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the war began.

The NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend in an apparent case of mistaken identity, The Associated Press has learned.

A joint US-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban early on Saturday morning, and while pursuing the enemy in the poorly marked border area, seem to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment and called in a NATO gunship and attack helicopters to open fire.

US officials say the account suggests the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the US and NATO forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border. Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters.



***:eyes:

[jman0]

1. yeah, of course. It's, you know... "the other guys fault "

You can't believe a word from US and NATO.
Does the name Pat Tillman ring any bells?

[Solly Mack]

2. Alrighty then.

[hobbit709]

3. wanna buy a bridge?

[Fumesucker]

4. NATO Outsmarted By Tenth Century Goatherds..

The sad thing is that being outsmarted is the charitable explanation.

[unhappycamper]

5. Of course they were lured.

[olleander]

6. Military CYA story

These Pakistani outposts just popped up?  C'mon!  If NATO has
not plotted every outpost by now, then they are totally
incompetent.  As it is, this is still incompetent!  You had
the ground guys, the air guys, and the central command all
involved in this attack.  No one bothered to look at a map
where the outposts were.

Mikey tricked me into breaking the window while we played
catch.  Honest to God.  These guys have had ten years and
several hundred billion dollars and they cannot get the job
done.  All of the NATO high command should be fired for
incompetence.  

[sad sally]

13. Gotta' wonder what all those drone surveillance flights and special ops missions

were recording if they don't know, huh?
####

“The positions of the posts were already conveyed to the Isaf through map references and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts,” he said while briefing columnists, defence analysts and television anchorpersons here at GHQ.
----
The DGMO said that there were four border communication centres to coordinate operations against militants but, unfortunately, all Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) were violated by Isaf and North Atlantic Tearty Organization (Nato) on the night of attack.
----
Giving details of the incident, he said after the midnight on November 26, 2 to 3 helicopters appeared and started engaging Volcano post breaking down all communication systems.

In response, the Boulder post engaged helicopters with anti aircraft guns and all available weapons. The helicopter also attacked the post.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/29/standard-procedures-violated-in-unprovoked-nato-strike-dgmo.html?du

and welcome to DU :hi:

[frylock]

7. crafty devils

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. Does Obama have his troops fire indiscriminately on supposedly non-belligerents?

24 troops is not a simple "Oopsies!" That's a sustained attack and the US isn't apologizing.

Were the Pakistanis aware of the Taliban activity or were they playing dumb the way they played dumb to UBL's presence a mere half-mile from their premier military academy?

[gratuitous]

10. Okay, indiscriminate firing on unidentified targets would be a war crime

So it must not be that, because the U.S. doesn't commit war crimes. Q to the E to the motherfuckin' D. There's another explanation, and wily goatherds in Afghanistan (as embarrassing as that cover story is) makes as good a cover as any. At least it's not a criminal offense to be so gullible.

[MisterP]

9. "waaaaah, all the bad things I've done are really secretly truly somehow the opponents' fault"

fish rot from the head down

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. That one goes well with "Grow Hair in Minutes with New Viagrow Hair Spray!"

[Angry Dragon]

12. If NATO and the US are that stupid and easily led then they have

no business carrying guns and using weapons...............