Obama calls to offer US ‘regret’

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday called Pakistan’s president to offer condolences over the Nato air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops and has led to a crisis in relations between the two countries.

Mr Obama told Asif Ali Zardari that the soldiers’ deaths were “regrettable” and accidental, according to a White House statement.

The US president reiterated his call for a full investigation of the 26 November incident and said the relationship with Pakistan was critical to the security interests of both nations.

“The president made clear that this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States’ strong commitment to a full investigation,” the White House statement said.