26 Sep 2008

Flares fired at NATO helicopters

6:05 am on 26 September 2008

Pakistani forces have fired flares at NATO helicopters in the border area to ensure they did not cross into Pakistani territory.

President Asif Ali Zardari told reporters at the beginning of a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan was often very unclear and so warning flares were sent up.

The Pentagon said earlier the NATO helicopters were US military aircraft operating inside Afghanistan and that they had at no time crossed into Pakistan.

Pakistan has strongly condemned the raids and said it would not tolerate any infringement on its territory.