US-led forces in Afghanistanhave fired at least 16 mortar shells at areas in NorthWaziristan Agency in northwestern Pakistan, Press TV reports.
Local sources told Press TV that the mortar shells were fired from borderingAfghanistan’s Khost province in NorthWaziristan Agency on Thursday. However, no loss of life has yet been reported as a result of the attack.
Sources added that five NATO helicopters were also flying over areas in North and South Waziristan Agencies that borderPakistan Thursday morning.
The mortar attack comes amid intensified tensions between Washington andIslamabad.
On Thursday, outgoing US Joint Chief of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, claimed that Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was supporting the Taliban-allied Haqqani network of militants that have been blamed for the recent assault on the US Embassy in Kabul.
Responding to Mullen, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar, denied US accusations leveled against the Pakistani intelligence agency, saying that the Haqqani network was once the “blue-eyed boy” of the CIA.
Islamabad has frequently slammed Washington over the US drone attacks on Pakistani soli, saying such attacks violate the country’s sovereignty.
The United States regularly carries out drone attacks on Pakistan’s tribal areas. Washington claims that the air raids target Pakistani militants, but Pakistani officials maintain that mostly civilians are killed in the attacks.
According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, some 957 Pakistani individuals fell victim to US drone strikes in 2010.
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