Pakistan has blamed US-led forces in Afghanistan for an “unprovoked and cowardly” air raid near the border that killed at least 11 Pakistani soldiers.

However, the US military said on Wednesday that the air and artillery assault was aimed at Taliban fighters and had been co-ordinated with Islamabad.

“Coalition forces informed the Pakistan army that they were being engaged by anti-Afghan forces,” the US military said in a statement.

It said the operation “had been previously co-ordinated with Pakistan”.

‘Baseless allegation’

However, Major General Athar Abbas, a Pakistani military spokesman, told Al Jazeera: “This is an absolutely baseless allegation or explanation.”

“We have co-ordination, we have intelligence sharing, if there was some doubt about any post they should have informed us before taking up any strike.

Asked whether Pakistan would continue to co-ordinate with coalition forces, Abbas said: “That is not the point. We have handed over our protest to the coalition forces.”

“We will wait for their reply. And whatever is their reply we would like them to consider it seriously.”

The soldiers were killed at a border post in the Mohmand region, opposite Afghanistan’s Kunar province, as US-led forces clashed with fighters attacking from Pakistan, a Pakistani security official said.

“The militants launched a cross-border attack into Afghanistan … our soldiers were killed in a counter-offensive by forces in Afghanistan,” said the official, who declined to be identified.

A US military statement said that the pro-Taliban fighters were sighted in a wooded area near the border post before US-led forces struck back with artillery fire.

Maulvi Omar, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, said that his fighters had attacked US and Afghan forces as they were setting up a position on the Pakistan side of the border.

Eight Taliban fighters were killed and nine others wounded in the subsequent US bombing, he said.

‘Legitimate strike’

The Pentagon said late on Wednesday that the strike was “legitimate”.

Geoff Morrel, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters in Washington: “Although it is early, every indication we have is that it was a legitimate strike in self-defence against forces that had attacked the coalition forces.”

The Afghan military has not yet responded.

Gonzalo Gallegos, a US state department spokesman, said it was “sad to see the loss of life among the Pakistani military”.

“This is a reminder that better cross-border communications between forces is vital,” he said.

“The military on both sides will look into the matter and review how to prevent a recurrence.”

Anne Patterson, the US ambassador to Islamabad, met Salman Bashir, Pakistan’s foreign secretary, to “discuss the incident,” Gallegos said, without giving further details.

The incident came after Kabul and western forces in Afghanistan raised doubts about Pakistan’s efforts to negotiate pacts with tribal fighters to end violence on its side of the border.

Nato says such deals lead to more violence in Afghanistan.

Pakistani support

Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, said that the US and Pakistan had a very strong strategic relationship under the previous administration which was dominated by supporters of Pervez Musharraf, the president.

“The event is happening at a time when Pakistan has a civilian government, when there is opposition to the alliance in the so-called war on terror,” he said.

“Such an incident [is] not likely to help strengthen that relationship but cast a shadow on it.”

The Pakistani military said that the attack had “hit at the very basis of co-operation and sacrifice with which Pakistani soldiers are supporting the coalition in the war against terror”.

Yousaf Raza Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister, also condemned the
attack.

“We will take a stand for sovereignty, integrity and self-respect and we will not allow our soil [to be attacked],” he told parliament.

AGENCIES