Pakistan blames U.S. coalition for troops' death

Pakistan's army on Wednesday accused the U.S.-led coalition of killing 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops in an airstrike along the volatile Afghan border.

A Pakistani army statement said the clash in the Mohmand tribal region "had hit at the very basis of cooperation" between the two countries in the war on terror.

The strike 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 army launched a strong protest and reserved "the right to protect our citizens and soldiers against aggression," the statement said.

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.

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