Islamabad, Aug 18: The United States's military chief telephoned Pakistan to express regret for the accidental killing of two Pakistani troops by US soldiers on its volatile border with Afghanistan, state media reported today. General Richard Myers, Chairman of the US Armed Forces' Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the latest US official to convey regrets for the August 11 killings, which raised tensions between the US and Pakistan, a key ally in its war-on-terror.
The two soldiers were accidentally shot dead when US troops patrolling the Afghan side of the border in Paktika province called in air support to pursue gunmen who had fired on them and were escaping towards Pakistan.
The incident underscores the delicate position of US-led forces in Afghanistan trying to capture al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters who frequently escape over the porous border into Pakistan's sensitive tribal areas.
President Pervez Musharraf complained personally to the US last week, telling US ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell that the deaths were "unacceptable". He asked Washington to launch an inquiry and punish those responsible.
Bureau Report