Pakistan Buries Troops Amid Fury Over NATO Strike

Posted November 27th, 2011 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistan held funerals Sunday for the 24 soldiers killed Saturday in a NATO cross-border airstrike in the country's northwest, an incident that has prompted a furious response from Pakistan.

The nation's army chief was among those attending the funerals of the victims. Their coffins, draped in green and white Pakistani flags, are being airlifted to their respective hometowns.

NATO and U.S. officials have responded quickly to the incident in an effort to minimize fallout from the crisis. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Sunday he has offered his condolences to Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for what he called the “tragic, unintended” deaths.

Rasmussen said he told the prime minister the deaths of the Pakistani troops was “as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel.” He said he supports the NATO investigation that is under way.

Earlier Sunday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the air raid on the military outposts that killed the soldiers and wounded 14 others is not acceptable. Khar said the attack demonstrated a complete disregard for human life. Clinton responded by saying she was deeply saddened, and she promised to work with Pakistan on the issue.

Pakistan has retaliated swiftly to the airstrike, shutting down all NATO supply lines through its territory to Afghanistan and ordering the U.S. to vacate an air base in southwestern Baluchistan province within 15 days.

Prime Minister Gilani and top military and government leaders said Saturday the Pakistani government “will revisit and undertake a complete review of all programs, activities and cooperative arrangements with US/NATO/ISAF.” They called for “strong and urgent action” against those responsible for the deadly incident.

Pakistan also is reexamining its decision to attend a major Afghanistan peace conference in Bonn next month.