As I predicted last night, it WAS an American raid inside of Pakistan and American military insiders have confirmed that according to the article here at Yahoo. This is going to get a bit dicey now with Pakistan as you will see below a number of big objections and outcrys by Pakistani lawmakers:
This is probably going to take some damage control over the next couple of weeks by American and NATO officials dealing with Pakistan but what would really help the situation would be for us revealing just who we killed dead in this raid.
The raid in the South Waziristan tribal region was the first known foreign ground assault in Pakistan against a Taliban haven. The Pakistani government summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest the incursion, which officials said killed at least 15 people, including civilians.
An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of cross-border operations, confirmed to The Associated Press that U.S. troops conducted the raid Wednesday about a mile beyond the Afghan frontier.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned the attack in an impassioned speech to lawmakers Thursday, saying it "violated the sovereignty of Pakistan." He also said "no important terrorist or high-value target" was killed.
"Innocent citizens, including women and children, have been targeted," Qureshi said. The ministry's spokesman said officials had no indication U.S. forces captured anyone in the raid.
This is probably going to take some damage control over the next couple of weeks by American and NATO officials dealing with Pakistan but what would really help the situation would be for us revealing just who we killed dead in this raid.
Zardari says global terror Pakistan's priority
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's presidential front-runner said in a newspaper column Thursday he stands with the U.S. against international terrorism, comments that appeared amid growing furor over an American-led cross-border attack in Pakistani territory.
The raid in the South Waziristan tribal region was the first known foreign ground assault in Pakistan against a Taliban haven. The Pakistani government summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest the incursion, which officials said killed at least 15 people, including civilians.
An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of cross-border operations, confirmed to The Associated Press that U.S. troops conducted the raid Wednesday about a mile beyond the Afghan frontier.
The boldness of the thrust fed speculation about the intended target. But it was unclear whether any extremist leader was killed or captured in the operation, which occurred in one of the militant strongholds dotting a frontier region considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned the attack in an impassioned speech to lawmakers Thursday, saying it "violated the sovereignty of Pakistan." He also said "no important terrorist or high-value target" was killed.
"Innocent citizens, including women and children, have been targeted," Qureshi said. The ministry's spokesman said officials had no indication U.S. forces captured anyone in the raid.
Pakistan's Senate and National Assembly passed resolutions Thursday condemning the attack.
A Pakistan army spokesman warned that the apparent escalation from suspected U.S. missile strikes on militant targets along the Afghan border would further anger Pakistanis and undercut cooperation in the war against terrorist groups.
The operation came days before Pakistan's weekend presidential election and threatened to complicate an already difficult relationship between the two countries.
U.S. commanders have pushed Pakistan to put more pressure on militant groups blamed for mounting violence in Afghanistan. That has stirred speculation that U.S. forces might lash out across the frontier, despite the risk of angering Pakistanis.
Suspected U.S. missile attacks killed at least two al-Qaida commanders this year in the northwest, drawing protests from Pakistan's government that its sovereignty was under attack. U.S. officials did not acknowledge any involvement in those attacks.
The main ruling Pakistan People's Party is generally considered in line with U.S. goals in the war on terror, but it has to tread carefully because of deep anti-American sentiment in the country. Many Pakistanis blame their country's partnership with the U.S. in the war on terror for fueling rising militancy in their country.
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