US: Taliban May Have Tricked NATO in Pakistan Attack

The NATO attack on Pakistani border posts may have been the result of a Taliban trick, according to a US military account. After they were attacked by insurgents, the US-Afghan team contacted Pakistani officials and was assured there were no Pakistani troops nearby. After two hours seeking the insurgents, the patrol found what it thought was a militant base—but was actually a Pakistani border post, US officials tell the AP.

The Taliban may have planned its attack in order to spark the identity mix-up and provoke the attack, US officials believe. But a Pakistani general today called the attack a “deliberate act of aggression,” adding that it was “next to impossible that NATO” was confused about who it was fighting. In protest, Pakistan plans to boycott an upcoming international conference on Afghanistan, insiders say. Meanwhile, the US is telling citizens in Pakistan to take precautions against possible backlash. (More NATO stories.)