By Awais Saleem, IANS,
Islamabad : US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson has formally extended an apology to Islamabad for a helicopter raid on a security check post in the country that killed three personnel.
A NATO helicopter fired gunshots at the check post of the paramilitary Frontier Scouts Sep 30 alongside the Afghan border.
At least three troopers were killed while three others were injured in the attack that caused outrage in the country.
After the attack, Pakistan decided to cut off a logistical supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan and demanded action against those responsible for the attack.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said, “The supply could not be restored unless and until public reaction calmed down.”
NATO secretary general Andre Rasmussen visited Pakistan to discuss the restoration of the supply route. “A thorough probe has been launched,” he said, while Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi hoped that “the supply route will resume soon”.
Earlier, a White House spokesman said, “The attack will not impact relations between both countries.”
The formal apology from the US envoy is the latest initiative to ease the tension created in the aftermath of the attack.
Patterson, in her statement, said that “the incident was an unfortunate accident”. “We will devise a mechanism together with the Pakistani government to avoid such attacks in future,” she added.
(Awais Saleem can be contacted at [email protected])