LESTER HOLT, anchor: Now to the diplomatic crisis reverberating from Islamabad to Washington after a NATO airstrike near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers . NBC 's Atia Abawi joins us now from Kabul with the latest. Atia , good evening to you.
ATIA ABAWI reporting: Good evening, Lester . Well, tonight exact circumstances of the attack remain unclear. The US and NATO are investigating as the Pakistanis bury their dead. A day of mourning in Pakistan . The flag-draped coffins of 24 soldiers killed in a NATO airstrike that appears to have gone terribly wrong. The attack sparked protests across the country today, Pakistanis demonstrating the rage and distrust of NATO and the United States . While most of the anger was aimed at the US, some blame their own civilian government for giving America the opportunity to kill their soldiers .
Mr. TARIQ MEHBOOB (Political Leader): Our existing political leadership has become the guardian of American interests. Our leaders have literally mortgaged the Pakistani people and put a Pakistan for sale placards across the globe.
ABAWI: The Pakistani soldiers were in two border posts near Afghanistan in an area where militants are active. Afghan officials said today that their troops and NATO forces called in the airstrikes after they came under fire from the direction of those Pakistani border posts. The attack prompted Pakistan to close two border crossings . Hundreds of trucks were parked for a second day between Pakistan and Afghanistan . Many drivers are afraid of becoming sitting ducks. Last year when Pakistan shut down one of their crossings after two soldiers were killed in another NATO airstrike, insurgents attacked the supply trucks, setting many of them on fire. For their part, the US State Department and the Pentagon released a joint statement last night saying that top US officials have been in touch with their Pakistani counterparts and "stressed, in addition to their sympathies and a commitment to review the circumstances of the incident, the importance of the US - Pakistani partnership." A tense partnership now facing its most serious challenge in years. And in addition to closing the border crossing , Pakistan has also ordered the US to vacate an air base used for CIA drone missions. Lester :
HOLT: Atia Abawi in Kabul tonight,
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45454707/
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