Conflicting reports of a tragic engagement

THE preliminary findings claim a US-Afghan patrol believed it was under fire from Taleban militants just after midnight on Saturday morning and called in aerial support, which attacked one target then returned two hours into a ground assault to fire on what was believed to be a militant base. The joint patrol called for airstrikes again, around 2:21am local time.

But Pakistan claims its border guards heard suspicious activity about quarter past midnight – when the US-Afghan patrol first reported contact with militants. The Pakistani troops fired flares and then fired on scrub near their base using small arms. The base then came under fire from US aircraft, and reported they were under attack. This was relayed at 12:30am local time by the Pakistani liaison officer to his US counterpart at Forward Operating Base Joyce, on the Afghan side of the border. Yet the attacks continued and the second Pakistani base opened fire on the aircraft. The aircraft then engaged the second base.

Nato communicated at roughly 1:15am to the Pakistanis that its commanders realised they were attacking a Pakistani base, and had been ordered to stop. Yet the aerial bombardment continued, with a fresh salvo aimed at a Pakistani rescue force going to the aid of two outposts.