Spin away, AP [Emphasis added]:
Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters and fighter jets of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 24 soldiers. Islamabad retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the international coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan.Yes, it's just a "perception" that Americans are killing Pakistanis by the score, and that their presence in the region is "malevolent," and not totally benign, or even beneficial. I'm not even going to mention (oh wait, yes I am) that the real "major blow" will be to the families of 24 Pakistani soldiers, who will have to be content with a pro-forma "apology" from the generals (and maybe a few bucks as well, though nowhere near as many as if they were "real" people, you know, Americans).
The incident before dawn Saturday was a major blow to already strained relations between Islamabad and U.S.-led forces fighting in Afghanistan. It will add to perceptions in Pakistan that the American presence in the region is malevolent, and further fuel resentment toward the weak government in Islamabad for its cooperation with Washington.
Comment Policy : Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, saepe gubergren sed id, et est posse insolens temporibus, alterum blandit offendit est et. Quando vocibus nam at. Quo malis detraxit ut, eu nulla decore mentitum, eu ferri postulant urbanitas pri. Nihil consul viderer vel ea, vel doctus accusamus gloriatur ut. Elitr iuvaret.