Pakistan Claims U.S./NATO Airstrikes Killed 11 Pakistani ParaMilitary Troops

This is both not good and also, a bit fishy. First off, let's look at the initial report from Breitbart:

U.S.-led coalition forces along the volatile Afghan border launched an airstrike that killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops, Pakistan's army said Wednesday. The military condemned it as an act of aggression that "hit at the very basis of cooperation" in the war on terrorism.
The incident late Tuesday followed a reported clash between Afghan forces and Taliban militants in the same area. The Taliban said eight of its fighters died in the skirmish.
The Pakistani army launched a strong protest and reserved "the right to protect our citizens and soldiers against aggression," the military said in a statement. The statement said the clash in the Mohmand tribal region "had hit at the very basis of cooperation" between the two allies in the war on terror.
The U.S. military declined to comment.

Now, in a nutshell, this is what supposedly happened:

1. Pakistani military said AFGHAN troops tried to set up a basepost on a mountaintop inside of Pakistan.
2. Pakistani troops told them to leave, they didn't and took shots at Paki troops and a battle ensued.
3. 11 Paki troops end up dead and 8 local Taliban end up dead.
4. Pakistan blames its 11 dead on an airstrike carried out by Coalitions drones/aircraft.

Now, I want to take a look at two more lines of the story:

Pakistani officials said the fighting broke out Tuesday after Afghan troops tried to set up a mountaintop post in a contested part of the lawless frontier and Pakistani security forces told them to withdraw.

He said between 60 and 100 of its fighters attacked NATO and Afghan army troops who had set up bunkers and tents on Pakistani soil. He claimed up to 40 Afghan troops were killed, several captured and that a NATO helicopter was shot down. Eight Taliban troops also died in the fighting, he said.

As you can see, this is a cluster as to what happened here. There really has been no comment at all from the Coalition, U.S. or NATO side so I wonder if there isn't some validity to the presence of Afghan troops inside of Pakistan.

What the article doesn't say is that you can imagine a Coalition drone flying over this bloody mess of a battle - Afghan troops, Paki Taliban fighters and Paki paramilitary troops all involved.

I find it hard to believe that U.S. commanders would have taken this bold of a next step in trying to secure more of the Pakistani border - actually putting in Afghan troops into Pakistan was a stretch. And at the same time, you can see the local Taliban are lying like sacks on this. It will be interesting to see what the U.S. and NATO forces say about what happened here.

UPDATE: Bill Roggio has a different version of what inspired this clash and some slightly different details. Check that account out here.

Pakistan blames US coalition for troops' death

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - U.S.-led coalition forces along the volatile Afghan border launched an airstrike that killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops, Pakistan's army said Wednesday. The military condemned it as an act of aggression that "hit at the very basis of cooperation" in the war on terrorism.
The incident late Tuesday followed a reported clash between Afghan forces and Taliban militants in the same area. The Taliban said eight of its fighters died in the skirmish.
The Pakistani army launched a strong protest and reserved "the right to protect our citizens and soldiers against aggression," the military said in a statement. The statement said the clash in the Mohmand tribal region "had hit at the very basis of cooperation" between the two allies in the war on terror.
The U.S. military declined to comment.
The lawless and remote mountain region is difficult for reporters to access and there were conflicting reports over the sequence of events and how many died in the fighting. The region is believed to be used by pro-Taliban militants as a launch pad for attacks into Afghanistan.
That infiltration is a constant source of tension in the counterrorism alliance. Pakistan has deployed tens of thousands of troops to police its tribal regions, but Western and Afghan officials say that has not deterred militants. Afghanistan often accuses Pakistan of abetting the Taliban, whose hardline regime it supported until its ouster in 2001.
Pakistani officials said the fighting broke out Tuesday after Afghan troops tried to set up a mountaintop post in a contested part of the lawless frontier and Pakistani security forces told them to withdraw.
Local tribesman Damagh Khan Mohmand said the Afghan forces had moved into the area around Speena Sooka, or White Peak, on Monday evening and were supported by foreign troops. There was no confirmation of that from the U.S.-led coalition or NATO security force in Afghanistan.
Khan Mohmand said tribesmen traded fire with the Afghan and foreign forces, and said Pakistani security forces also opened fire—although the military disputed that.
The army said the coalition airstrike hit a post of the paramilitary Frontier Corps and was a "completely unprovoked and cowardly act."
Khan Mohmand said he saw drones and that two aircraft had bombed several locations.
Maulvi Umar, a spokesman for an umbrella group of Pakistani Taliban, said militants had resisted an incursion into Pakistan.
He said between 60 and 100 of its fighters attacked NATO and Afghan army troops who had set up bunkers and tents on Pakistani soil. He claimed up to 40 Afghan troops were killed, several captured and that a NATO helicopter was shot down. Eight Taliban troops also died in the fighting, he said.
None of his claims could be independently confirmed.
State-run Pakistan Television said 18 people died in the fighting, including 10 troops and eight civilians. It reported that Afghan and foreign forces had tried to set up a military post and were resisted by tribesmen. A NATO airstrike then struck a Pakistani military post, PTV said.
On Wednesday, two helicopters brought the bodies of 11 troops killed and another 13 soldiers wounded in the fighting to Peshawar, the main city in northwestern Pakistan, a military intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to comment to the media. Witnesses said seven ambulances shifted the casualties to a military hospital in the city.