Updated on
Summary Pakistan has rejected the US regret over the NATO strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Washington has backed a full inquiry and sent its condolences, while NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday voiced regret over the tragic, unintended killings, but did not issue a full apology.In response Pakistan has dug in its heels, reacting furiously to what it called an unprovoked strike, worsening US-Pakistani relations already in crisis after the killing in May of Osama bin Laden north of Islamabad by US special forces.Asked about expressions of regret by NATO, Maj Gen Athar Abbas said: We do not accept it because such kind of attacks have been taking place in the past... Our leadership will decide about further reaction.British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on Monday quoted wounded survivors of the raid, who insisted they were victims of an unprovoked attack.In retaliation, Islamabad has blocked NATO convoys from crossing into Afghanistan, ordered a review of its alliance with the US and is mulling whether to boycott a key conference on Afghanistan next month.Hundreds of enraged Pakistanis took to the streets for a third day on Monday, blocking roads to demand that Pakistan end its troubled alliance with the United States.Key ally China, seen by Islamabad as a crucial counterweight to American influence, said it was deeply shocked and called for an investigation.
