Washington: A US military investigation found on Thursday that both American and Pakistani forces were to blame in airstrike on Mohmand check-posts that killed 24 Pakistani troops.
“Inadequate coordination by US and Pakistani military officers operating through the border coordination center – including our reliance on incorrect mapping information shared with the Pakistani liaison officer – resulted in a misunderstanding about the true location of Pakistani military units,” the Pentagon said in a statement summarizing conclusions from an investigation into the Nov. 26 incident.
“This, coupled with other gaps in information about the activities and placement of units from both sides, contributed to the tragic result,” US Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Clark said in a statement.
The investigation also found “there was no intentional effort to target persons or places known to be part of the Pakistani military, or to deliberately provide inaccurate location information to Pakistani officials.”
A US defence official said it was still unclear why Pakistani forces opened fire on the US helicopters.
The Pentagon statement also expressed regret for “the lack of proper coordination between US and Pakistani forces that contributed to those losses.”
