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US troops stray into Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: US troops hunting Al Qaeda and Taliban militants crossed over from Afghanistan into Pakistan to search a Pashtun tribal village in a rare violation of the border, Pakistan’s military spokesman said on Tuesday. News of the incident, which took place on May 2, came a day after the top US commander in Afghanistan said foreign fighters were still launching attacks from Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt. The US troops searched shops and a petrol pump in the village of Alwara Mandi, in North Waziristan during a nighttime operation, according to Pakistan’s Major-General Shaukat Sultan. Eyewitnesses said 60 US troops were involved in the operation and they returned to Afghan soil immediately after being told that they were on the wrong side of the border. “The moment they were informed they went back. They stayed for no longer than 25 minutes,” Sultan said. He said such incursions were very rare, although US helicopters had strayed into Pakistan airspace before. —Reuters

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