Gunfight breaks out at Pakistan-Afghan border flag meeting between US, Afghan, and Pakistani troops

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070514/wl_nm/afghan_shooting_dc_2

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A gunfight broke out at meeting involving U.S., Afghan and Pakistani soldiers in Pakistan on Monday, and a number of soldiers were killed and wounded, officials said.

The flag meeting in the northwest Kurram tribal agency had been called in a bid to resolve a border clash between Pakistani troops and Afghans the previous day.

Pakistan and Afghan officials gave starkly different accounts of the firing on the soldiers, while a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan said he had heard of an incident in a border area, but did not have details.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi told Reuters: "At the meeting, a Pakistani officer rose up and fired at U.S. soldiers, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and the wounding of two others."

Azimi said U.S. helicopters later arrived to evacuate the casualties. He said he did not know why the Pakistani officer had opened fire. snip

"Three to four U.S. soldiers and three to four Pakistani soldiers were injured. Now we have reports that one U.S. soldier has died and a Pakistani soldier has also died."

[magellan]

1. I take it

...this is not the way the flag meeting was supposed to end.

BTW, what the heck is a 'flag meeting'?

[dogday]

2. I thought Pakistan was our Ally

I am all confused...

[acmavm]

3. Golly. Just another sign that we're doing so well over there in the Middle

East. Have 'em eating out of our hands.