Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, has told his troops that any aggression should be responded to 'with full force, regardless of the cost and consequences'. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan's military commanders have ordered their troops to return fire if they come under attack from Nato forces, raising the prospect of further deadly clashes along the country's border with Afghanistan.

General Ashfaq Kayani, Pakistan's army chief, gave the new order in response to the recent deaths of 24 soldiers when their border posts came under fire from Nato helicopters.

Kayani is under immense pressure from within his own ranks over the two-hour bombardment by the helicopters of an ally, to which the Pakistani air force did not respond. The incident piled further humiliation on a military still stung by the US special forces operation in May that killed Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan.

"I want to emphasise and leave no ambiguity in the rules of engagement for everyone down the chain of command," Kayani said in a letter to his troops.

"When under attack, you have full liberty of action to respond with all capabilities at your disposal. This will require no clearance at any level.

"I have very clearly directed that any act of aggression will be responded to with full force, regardless of the cost and consequences."

The communique, issued in Urdu, will be read out by local commanders to their soldiers.

Kayani also said that the air force did not respond to the Nato attack "due to breakdown of communication with the affected posts".

The move effectively transforms the role of more than 100,000 Pakistan troops deployed along its western border from counterinsurgency to border protection duty.

The Nato attack happened on the border between the Afghan province of Kunar and the Mohmand part of Pakistan's tribal area. The border posts were 300 metres inside Pakistani territory.

Pakistan claims the attack was "unprovoked" and continued even after it alerted Nato to the fact that its post was coming under fire.

US officials have claimed a combined Afghan and US special forces squad operating close to the border came under fire from suspected militants on the Pakistani side, and that they responded by calling in air support.

But a senior Pakistani military officer said US officials supplied the wrong co-ordinates for the proposed strike, and then launched the attack "without getting clearance from the Pakistani side".

"It was an unprovoked and indiscriminate attack by US helicopters and fighter jets," he said.

He denied an account by American officials, carried in Friday's Wall Street Journal, that they had checked the location with Pakistan first and the fatal strike had been given the go-ahead.

An investigation by the US military is under way.

In retaliation for the incident, Pakistan has blocked the transit of Nato supplies through its territory, ended the US use of an airbase and is boycotting next week's high-level international meeting on Afghanistan in Bonn.

Pakistan's co-operation is considered vital to stabilising Afghanistan and pushing the Taliban into peace talks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/02/pakistan-military-return-fire-nato?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

The silly general obviously thinks NATO is like their neighbour, Bangladesh. The day they fire back with their full strength is the day they will be shocked to a standstill.
There is no point hosting terrorists and threatening their victims with a shootout.

@ beaf - beaf u are a real nama! what are u thinking? this is a paki general talking not a naija genera! pakistan will respond to nato attack and is not going to be a libyan case here. they are equiped with what nato is flaunting and threatening everyone with.

aurenflani:

@ beaf - beaf u are a real nama! what are u thinking? this is a paki general talking not a naija genera! pakistan will respond to nato attack and is not going to be a libyan case here. they are equiped with what nato is flaunting and threatening everyone with.

Leave that fulani cattle alone. He thinks modern warfare is about showing shinning planes in the sky! The US knows what the Pakistani can do and they obviously know how dangerous Pankistan is military wise.

Forget about the nonsense about $10bn yearly aid the US keep banging about. Pankistan is beginning to realize that the choose the wrong battle to fight in. Imagine if they had stayed out of the war on terror and concentrate more on advancing their technological prowess like India, maybe they would have today be named amongst the BRIC nations.

^
You've always been a low grade id!ot, so keep flying the flag it really suits you.

aurenflani:

@ beaf - beaf u are a real nama! what are u thinking? this is a paki general talking not a naija genera! pakistan will respond to nato attack and is not going to be a libyan case here. they are equiped with what nato is flaunting and threatening everyone with.

Yet the US went deep into their country, spent two hours on the ground, expired Ben Ladin and carted away computers and sundry evidence. . . All a stone throw away from one of the biggest Pakistani military bases?
I'm sure the US is so scared that they sent helicopters into Pakistan in a raid that resulted in 24 deaths.

When it comes down to hard facts, you will find that Pakistans best planes are F-16's which the US is hardly scared or in awe of (maybe to you they are, though).

When you rush to insult people, better make sure you are not presenting youself as a fool.

Do you even understand what the thing in the pic below represents? Lol!

^ it just shows how mypopic you are when it comes to international security matters! I think it is better you settle in with your local "MEND" security know how and stay clear of the international security/intelligence issues.

FYI, the US raid in Pakistan was sanctioned by the highest level of Pakistani intelligence. If you were not told by your "heresay" Nigerian press, know it now that the Pakistani ISI agents along the Afghan boarder saw the two chonooks take-off from the US base in Afghanistan using thier night vision binocs! FYI, Pakistani have your so called MiGs as well! Not old Gen MiGs but the next variant to the recently developed MiGs.

You'r really a Fulani beaf! Showing US a RPA/drone! Haha if only you knew that drones are usless without foot soldiers aka 'first eye' which is what the Pakistani army has been doing for the US. Ask yourself, why is russian not investing in drones technology like the US? Instead they are busy working H/ICMVRs which is the future! Maybe you need to also refresh your memory that the base where the use lunch these drones from are operated jointly by both the US special forces and the Pakistani ISI.

Need I remind you that Pakistan posess missiles technology with capabilities to develope, test, deploy and lunch without any external assistance! Oh, remember them nukes?, they got 'em too!!

Omo_Tier1:

^ it just shows how mypopic you are when it comes to international security matters! I think it is better you settle in with your local "MEND" security know how and stay clear of the international security/intelligence issues.

FYI, the US raid in Pakistan was sanctioned by the highest level of Pakistani intelligence. If you were not told by your "heresay" Nigerian press, know it now that the Pakistani ISI agents along the Afghan boarder saw the two chonooks take-off from the US base in Afghanistan using thier night vision binocs! FYI, Pakistani have your so called MiGs as well! Not old Gen MiGs but the next variant to the recently developed MiGs.

You'r really a Fulani beaf! Showing US a RPA/drone! Haha if only you knew that drones are usless without foot soldiers aka 'first eye' which is what the Pakistani army has been doing for the US. Ask yourself, why is russian not investing in drones technology like the US? Instead they are busy working H/ICMVRs which is the future! Maybe you need to also refresh your memory that the base where the use lunch these drones from are operated jointly by both the US special forces and the Pakistani ISI.

Need I remind you that Pakistan posess missiles technology with capabilities to develope, test, deploy and lunch without any external assistance! Oh, remember them nukes?, they got 'em too!!

You are just so stup!d, its critical.
If the Bin Laden raid was okayed by Pakistan, how come they are so angry about it? You people just like to make up kindergarten tales and tell foolish lies.

If you know everything about modern warfare, would you be the fool that orders Pakistan to retaliate against the US? Or maybe you don't realise that the US has phucking up Pakistan for donkey years now. The kind of foolish sound bytes that general is emitting now is an old habit of empty rants that started in Musharraf's time.
You know all about modern warfare, yet you imagine that the US would need to put marines on the ground in Pakistan. For what purpose if I may ask? Any exchange of fire would simply be to punish the sort of puny attempts the general is promising; the sort of weak action that saw 24 Pakistani soldiers meet their untimely ends just a few days ago. I wonder why their great weaponry did not save them. Maybe you know, fool?

It is good to talk foolishly about MIG's, because it clearly shows that you lack knowledge of military platforms; keep on talking like a fool, that way I can expose your shallowness even more. Maybe you will soon be lying about Pakistani stealth jets and missiles that can hit the Moon soon.

You are just as daft as a stone and getting worse.

@ beaf - u should know dat us is not indispensabe and not immuned from attack or counter attack. the us politicians say so, the japs have shown so in ww11, the vietnamese who pursued the us army until d american ambassador ran to d rooftop of d building to his waiting helicopter to escape from d viet cong, throwing docs from his briefcase as he fled knows dis, uss cole? in d persian gulf is a fact on this, d twin building housing d wtc in new york shows dis, the iraqi minister of info under saddam was proven right (taken into account american army and marine casualties and fatalities after d invasion). The taliban constant attack on us/nato basis is a fact, israeli army have also proven this in d suez canal. so u may be overwhelmed and over awed by d big apple but fact is pakistan is more than capable of repeling all attacks & counter attacks against d us aggression.

do u think d us would have had that a country as ally to launch attack against d taliban if musharraf were zia ul haq?

aurenflani:

@ beaf - u should know dat us is not indispensabe and not immuned from attack or counter attack. the us politicians say so, the japs have shown so in ww11, the vietnamese who pursued the us army until d american ambassador ran to d rooftop of d building to his waiting helicopter to escape from d viet cong, throwing docs from his briefcase as he fled knows dis, uss cole? in d persian gulf is a fact on this, d twin building housing d wtc in new york shows dis, the iraqi minister of info under saddam was proven right (taken into account american army and marine casualties and fatalities after d invasion). The taliban constant attack on us/nato basis is a fact, israeli army have also proven this in d suez canal. so u may be overwhelmed and over awed by d big apple but fact is pakistan is more than capable of repeling all attacks & counter attacks against d us aggression.

do u think d us would have had that a country as ally to launch attack against d taliban if musharraf were zia ul haq?

Yeah, even Cameroon can repel the US. Tell me more about it.
There is a state of deception called, "wild dreams." Wether you love or hate the US, its best to accept stark, nekid reality.

Its like that funny obowumi talking about MIG's, as if Libya didn't have them.

Beaf:

The silly general obviously thinks NATO is like their neighbour, Bangladesh. The day they fire back with their full strength is the day they will be shocked to a standstill.
There is no point hosting terrorists and threatening their victims with a shootout.

Beaf just keep your mouth shut on this. This is not gej or pdp issues and u are nothing but a brain washed fellow that knows little or nothing about whats going on around the world. just keep ur mouth shut on this.

hajifaty:

Beaf just keep your mouth shut on this. This is not gej or pdp issues and u are nothing but a brain washed fellow that knows little or nothing about whats going on around the world. just keep your mouth shut on this.

Go and fight for Pakistan and advise them to start shooting at the US, then. Just make sure you are at the war front to be converted into Kentucky fried chicken. . . LOLZZ!!!!!

Pakistan Army to attack US Army?

What a nightmare dream, its fair to say that Pakistan Army will not dream of it, it will take Pakistan ages to match US firing power.

Omo_Tier1:

^ it just shows how mypopic you are when it comes to international security matters! I think it is better you settle in with your local "MEND" security know how and stay clear of the international security/intelligence issues.

FYI, the US raid in Pakistan was sanctioned by the highest level of Pakistani intelligence. If you were not told by your "heresay" Nigerian press, know it now that the Pakistani ISI agents along the Afghan boarder saw the two chonooks take-off from the US base in Afghanistan using thier night vision binocs! FYI, Pakistani have your so called MiGs as well! Not old Gen MiGs but the next variant to the recently developed MiGs.

You'r really a Fulani beaf! Showing US a RPA/drone! Haha if only you knew that drones are usless without foot soldiers aka 'first eye' which is what the Pakistani army has been doing for the US. Ask yourself, why is russian not investing in drones technology like the US? Instead they are busy working H/ICMVRs which is the future! Maybe you need to also refresh your memory that the base where the use lunch these drones from are operated jointly by both the US  special forces and the Pakistani ISI.

Need I remind you that Pakistan posess missiles technology with capabilities to develope, test, deploy and lunch without any external assistance! Oh, remember them nukes?,  they got 'em too!!

You have a broad understanding about international security/intelligence issues from your analysis. And not much to add to what you just said.

And for those of you who think otherwise and see USA as a 'god'. They are not immune to attacks and can be given a beaten. It has never been impossible in the history of warfare. Ask the likes of Roman Empire, Alexander the great to Nazi Germany.

Pakistan Armed forces and ISI are not to be taken for granted. Even the Americans knows this. In fact, they gave the Americans the green light on Osama bin laden. That back to back drama you see in the news afterward was just a camouflage. The Pakistani's give NATO immunity to operate freely in that region does not mean NATO can't be called to order when they misbehave.  The Pakistani's produce their own weapons from low grade to high tech including NUKES. Not like Nigeria and other African countries that buys their weapon to the last bullet.

I don't wish to go further into military intelligence, in which Pakistan ISI is considered one of the best and feared.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Services_Intelligence

It is better to keep quite if one does not know much about potent issues like this instead of making mockery of yourself.

Do not be brain washed by the press thinking America is everything.  You can always apply some informal logic.

Some of you are just making up stories about the strength of Pakistan military, Pakistan military power is far down the line, infact India is ranked higher than Pakistan, Global Firing Power ranked Pakistan 15th in the world, few of you here seems to let your ant-American agender cloud your sense of reasoning.

Show me any evidence anywhere that suggest that Pakistan can stand America military wise.

The story about ISI allowing the American special forces to carry out raid that killed Osama is just nonsense, as usual, many of you come up with these conspiracy theories and made you stories just to justify you baseless argument.

Lol @ Mr--Why and his ISI.
Are they going to be the ones fighting America if they rain down Soddom and Gomorrah spiced with Armageddon on the harpless Pakistani armed forces?

justwise:

Some of you are just making up stories about the strength of Pakistan military, Pakistan military power is far down the line, infact India is ranked higher than Pakistan, Global Firing Power ranked Pakistan 15th in the world, few of you here seems to let your ant-American agender cloud your sense of reasoning.

Show me any evidence anywhere that suggest that Pakistan can stand America military wise.

The story about ISI allowing the American special forces to carry out raid that killed Osama is just nonsense, as usual, many of you come up with these conspiracy theories and made you stories just to justify you baseless argument.

And Vietnam ranked?

olabukola:

And Vietnam ranked?

Not even in the first 55th countries.

justwise:

Not even in the first 55th countries.

And they out muscled Amerika

olabukola:

And they out muscled Amerika

Passed glory

olabukola:

And they out muscled Amerika

Did they? Maybe your history books are faulty; the US lost 58,220 soldiers, while Vietnam lost between 1 and 3 million. A staggering statistic.


There is also a simple point you fellows are missing, if Pakistan fires back at the US, the response would not be a ground war. It would simply be a frying party for those involved in that "firing back." It would be similar to what the 24 dead learnt, or were those 24 not members of the Pakistani army?

Beaf:

Did they? Maybe your history books are faulty; the US lost 58,220 soldiers, while Vietnam lost between 1 and 3 million. A staggering statistic.


There is also a simple point you fellows are missing, if Pakistan fires back at the US, the response would not be a ground war. It would simply be a frying party for those involved in that "firing back." It would be similar to what the 24 dead learnt, or were those 24 not members of the Pakistani army?

you have got to be one of the most brainwashed imb.eciles i have ever come across in my life, i cant understand this obsession with the US - you are in no way benefitting from any of the terror and agression that the US wages throughout the world so why the pathetic slavish follow follow behaviour?

has it occurred to your dim brain that these weapons you worship are going to be used all over the african continent very soon, would you like your village to be used as a testing ground for US weapons of  mass destruction? perhaps we can start by bombing your family compound with their weapons - im sure in your dim slow mind you would still continue in this your pathetic worship of the US empire  - im not suprised your ethnicity indicates that you were born to be a slave rather than a leader.

and by the way the vietnamese are the most courageous human beings on the planet to have fought and defeated the US, can you and those your backward ijaw people even dream of offering up one quarter of the type of resistance that the vietnamese offered up against the US military?

you and your master goodluck jonathan are only good for one thing being houseboys and slaves to western powers because you are born cowards.

justwise:

Some of you are just making up stories about the strength of Pakistan military, Pakistan military power is far down the line, infact India is ranked higher than Pakistan, Global Firing Power ranked Pakistan 15th in the world,  few of you here seems to let your ant-American agender  cloud your sense of reasoning.

Show me any evidence anywhere that suggest that Pakistan can stand America military wise.

The story about ISI allowing the American special forces to carry out raid that killed Osama is just nonsense, as usual, many of you come up with these conspiracy theories and made you stories just to justify you baseless argument.

It is obvious that you know nothing about warfare nor military intelligence, hence, I am not going to waste my time in engaging logically with you on that. I suppose you haven't heard of the foreign policy doctrine," the enemy of your enemy is my friend. Even Obama won't beat his chest like you are doing here on this issue despite the fact that he has access to the buttons. He knows the effects of carrot and hip-hop diplomacy than your brain can fathom. You don't bully a sovereign nation with NUKES and the warhead capability to deliver it; that could turn your cities into a radioactive wasteland. Of course, the West have the capability to unleash their arsenals on their opponents as well. But when you are dealing with a potential opponent in war with a huge army that manufactures significant portion of its weapons, a populace that believe in Jihad philosophy, only two things are certain: Death and Destruction. The notion of pre-matured victory and to underestimate your opponent because you are classified as the greatest military is downright stupid, naive,short of common sense and a recipe for utter embarrassment. George Bush can tell you more about that when he declared "Mission Accomplished" on the war on Iraq and his neglect of Afghanistan.

For you to dismiss it as "passed glory", shows your dangerous lack of understanding of history and the significance of victory against your enemy or a threat. The Vietnam war changed America dramatically and still a stigma in their political discourse, just as the Biafra war is to Nigeria. John McCain who had first hand experience and was a POW knows better.  Go and tell the  Americans, Brits,Russians,( the Allies), who defeated the Axis powers(Nazi Germany, Japan, etc), that it is "passed glory" and see what they will say to you. You can also attend WWII victory parades every May and shout out loud ,that they should stop celebrating because it is in the past and lets see if you will likely come back here alive to spew your limited knowledge on issues such as this.

It is quite expected of you to label anyone who disagrees with your foreign policy views as a conspiracy theorist. That mantra of yours is becoming a platitude and very weak argument to make you appear informed. Not everyone is a B.U.T.T-LICKER to the West or anyone who you think should exercise absolute subordination to them for no just cause. One of the main objectives of education is to teach students to think critically, objectively and not to swallow everything that is spoon fed to them. Unfortunately, it is not appropriately applied by some people. God gave us the brain to analyse, evaluate, research, scrutinize issues especially very important ones. If you believe 100% in what the media says and particularly about incident leading to Bin Laden's death, then the media spin doctor must have carefully and brilliantly choreographed it very well. After all, it was Joseph Goebbels who said, "when you tell a lie over and over and over and OVER again, it becomes a truth".  What planet are you living on?

Beaf:

Lol @ Mr--Why and his ISI.
Are they going to be the ones fighting America if they rain down Soddom and Gomorrah spiced with Armageddon on the harpless Pakistani armed forces?

Oya, Oga Beaf, press that button.  With that kind temperament, you would be doing the Evangelicals a favour by bringing Armageddon much closer than they had expected .

cap28:

you have got to be one of the most brainwashed imb.eciles i have ever come across in my life, i cant understand this obsession with the US - you are in no way benefitting from any of the terror and agression that the US wages throughout the world so why the pathetic slavish follow follow behaviour?

has it occurred to your dim brain that these weapons you worship are going to be used all over the african continent very soon, would you like your village to be used as a testing ground for US weapons of mass destruction? perhaps we can start by bombing your family compound with their weapons - im sure in your dim slow mind you would still continue in this your pathetic worship of the US empire - im not suprised your ethnicity indicates that you were born to be a slave rather than a leader.

and by the way the vietnamese are the most courageous human beings on the planet to have fought and defeated the US, can you and those your backward ijaw people even dream of offering up one quarter of the type of resistance that the vietnamese offered up against the US military?

you and your master goodluck jonathan are only good for one thing being houseboys and slaves to western powers because you are born cowards.

Crap 28, you are as daft as you are pathetic.
Will the foolishness you freely expressed above help Pakistan if they are crazy enough to call for a rewind of the sort of shootout that is making that general talk nonsense?

You are really daft.