ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani military on Friday warned that it could strike back at U.S. soldiers if they conducted cross-border raids from Afghanistan, escalating the tension between the allies as U.S. missiles again pounded suspected militant hideouts.
Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, seen here meeting with commandos in July, has said American incursions won't be tolerated.
A statement issued Friday by the Pakistani military at the end of a two-day meeting said the government and military agreed on the need to defend the nation. “Pakistani troops on the spot will retaliate for any actions across the border,” Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief military spokesman, said. He didn't provide details of possible actions, but the orders raised the prospect of the two allies shooting at each other even as they both increase the targeting of militants.
The Pakistani stance comes after it was revealed earlier this week that U.S. President George W. Bush approved secret orders in July clearing the way for Special Operations forces to conduct ground assaults in Pakistan without that government's permission. U.S. commandos backed by a helicopter gunship recently raided a village in Pakistan's border region, prompting a furious reaction in Pakistan.
The U.S. also has stepped up its missile attacks. On Friday, two missiles fired from an unmanned drone hit a suspected militant hideout, killing at least 14, the seventh known missile strike since Aug. 20.
Pakistan's government has tolerated the missile strikes, but military officials and politicians have warned repeatedly that U.S. troop sorties into Pakistan would be considered a violation of Pakistani sovereignty. The Pakistani military has embarked on its own massive offensive in the border region, killing about 120 militants in the past two days.
The White House and State Department on Friday declined to comment on any aspect of the U.S. operations, including the rules of engagement. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, asked by a reporter to clarify the authority for the raids, said only, “I would just say that our commanders, I think, have the authorities that they need to protect our troops in Afghanistan, and just leave it at that.”
A U.S. military official dismissed the hard-line Pakistani rhetoric as bluster meant for consumption within Pakistan, where the recent American strikes have sparked a public outcry. The official said that Islamabad hadn't begun to take concrete measures, like limiting the number of American drone flights over Pakistani soil.
But the official cautioned that the growing numbers of U.S. forces operating in or near Pakistan increases the odds of a friendly-fire incident between the two countries. The official also noted that American commanders in the region have long felt that some Pakistani units deployed to the border areas actively cooperate with the Taliban and al Qaeda to launch attacks against American forces.
“One possibility is an accident between our guys and their guys, and one possibility is that the Pak military shoots at our guys intentionally, as we believe they’ve done before,” the official said.
Still, the likelihood of firefights between the allies appears slim, at least for now. Pakistan's government is counting on more aid from the U.S., after receiving more than $10 billion in assistance since the terrorist attacks of September 2001. U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D., Del.) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R., Ind.) have introduced a bill that would triple the current level of nonmilitary aid to $1.5 billion annually over five years. The government needs aid and investment to avoid defaulting on its sovereign debt, analysts say.
But the substance of Pakistan's threat will be fully known only if U.S. and Pakistani troops encounter each other on a combat mission. And Pakistan's repeated, escalating rhetoric underscores how seriously it takes the issue. Earlier this week, Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, warned that U.S. incursions into Pakistan wouldn't be tolerated and that Pakistani forces would defend national sovereignty at all costs. “There is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces allowing them to strike inside Pakistan,” he said.
The rise in U.S. strikes came as Pervez Musharraf, a strong U.S. ally, was ousted as Pakistan's president and succeeded by Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He was sworn into office earlier this week.
Mr. Zardari has vowed to take tough measures to combat terrorism, raising speculation that the government has given the green light to U.S. raids. But a government spokeswoman said there were no differences between the government and the military.
