Pakistani soldiers were responsible for a hushed-up 2007 incident in Afghanistan that killed one American soldier and wounded three, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The American soldiers were leaving a successful meeting with Afghan and Pakistani officials at an Afghan border outpost when a Pakistani soldier opened fire. Pakistan first blamed the attack on militants, then on a single rogue soldier. But interviews The Times conducted with Afghan, American, and United Nations officials close to the incident revealed that the attack involved multiple soldiers and Pakistani intelligence agents and military officers.
Two generals interviewed -- retired Gen. Dan McNeill, who was serving as commander in Afghanistan in 2007, and Lt. Gen. Ron Helmly, who was leading the Office of the Defense Representative at the American Embassy in Pakistan -- "said there no evidence that senior Pakistani officials had planned the attack," The Times reported.
Both American and Pakistani investigations of the incident remain classified in order to protect the fragile alliance between the two nations, according to The Times.
Several officers suggested to The Times that the 2007 ambush may have been revenge for Afghan or Pakistani deaths at American hands. A pattern of Pakistani retaliation for losses they had suffered was discernible at the time, a former American military officer said.
Last week, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told senators that Pakistani-supported insurgents were responsible for an August attack on the American embassy in Kabul.
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