Pakistan's army is denying that it helped direct U.S. artillery fire from Afghanistan against Islamic militants operating on the Pakistani side of the border.
The director of operations for the U.S. military command in Afghanistan, Colonel Cardon Crawford, had cited the alleged Pakistani move as a big advance in cooperation in the fight against the Taleban and al-Qaida. He told reporters that Pakistani forces had helped U.S. artillery fire against Afghan insurgents hiding across the border on the Pakistani side.
Pakistan is a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. But Pakistan does not allow U.S. combat troops to operate inside its territory, because it is a politically charged issue between the Pakistani government and the opposition.