Pak, Afghan, NATO commanders hold border talks
09 February, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Afghan, NATO and Pakistani commanders on Wednesday held talks in an effort to improve coordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, a sign of thawing relations after American air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last year.
Pakistan was outraged by the attack on two of its Afghan border posts on November 26 and claimed it was deliberate. Islamabad retaliated by closing its border to supplies meant for NATO troops in Afghanistan and by kicking the US out of Shamsi airbase used by American drones. But tensions seemed to have eased slightly, with Pakistani officials saying in recent days the government should reopen its border to NATO supplies as long as it can negotiate higher fee.
The United States and Pakistan have long had a troubled relationship, but both sides have an interest in preventing it from rupturing completely. The US needs Pakistan's help to fight al Qaeda and negotiate peace with the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, while Islamabad is keen on keeping billions of dollars in American aid flowing.
Wednesday's meeting took place at a border coordination centre in Torkham, a city on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Pakistan Army said. The operations chief for the army, Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem, also attended the meeting, it said.
The US and Pakistan disagree on who should be blamed for the deadly incident in November, which occurred in the middle of the night as American and Afghan forces were conducting operations near the border inside Afghanistan.
Last week, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar went to Kabul on a fence-mending visit and then indicated that Islamabad could shortly reopen its Afghan border to NATO supplies, reversing a blockade imposed on November 26.
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