KARACHI, Pakistan — U.S. and Pakistani military officials denied reports that Pakistani troops turned back a U.S. attack in Pakistan’s tribal areas Monday by firing warning shots toward U.S. troops as they attempted to cross from Afghanistan in pursuit of Taliban insurgents.
A Pakistani intelligence official said several U.S. helicopters were seen hovering in the tribal area of South Waziristan. By the official’s account, the helicopters landed just inside Afghanistan and several U.S. soldiers got out of them. Pakistani troops fired warning shots in the air as the U.S. troops tried to enter Pakistani territory from Afghanistan, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
But Maj. Murad Khan, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, denied reports of gunfire, and Sgt. Chris Peavy, a spokesman for the U.S. military, said, “We fly everyday missions in that area, all the time. It’s close to the border, but we did not enter that area today. There’s been no firing on our forces.”
