US Defense Secretary Asks Pakistan To Join Air Strike Probe

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Wall Street Journal (wsj.com)
June 12, 2008 BRUSSELS (AFP)--U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates invited Pakistan Thursday to join an investigation into an air strike that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, saying he regretted that the incident had angered a key ally.
"We think all the procedures were followed but that will be for the investigation to decide, and if we need to make changes, we will," Gates told reporters in Brussels on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting.
The U.S. military has defended the air strike as a "legitimate" response to an attack on coalition forces by insurgents who retreated into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan released a video that it said shows the strike was aimed at insurgents. Pakistan has expressed outrage over what it said was an "unprovoked and cowardly" attack on a checkpoint in a volatile tribal area.
Gates said he had not personally spoken to the Pakistanis, but that the U.S. military had. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been in contact with his counterpart in Pakistan.
"We agree we need to investigate this incident," Gates said. "We've invited the Afghans and the Pakistanis to be a part of the investigation."
"Pakistan is an incredibly important partner for us in this war on terror. Personally, I regret we've had something that has created a problem. We've had an incident that has created a problem between us and the government of Pakistan," he said.
 
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