Did Taliban trick U.S.-NATO forces?

The U.S.-NATO attacks over the weekend that killed 24 Pakistani troops may have been the result of a calculated maneuver by the Taliban to lure coalition forces into mistakenly engaging in friendly fire, The Associated Press reports.

According to preliminary U.S. military reports on the incident as described to the AP by American officials, a U.S.-Afghan patrol was attacked by Taliban forces Saturday morning. The strike led to the patrol chasing the enemy in a poorly marked border area, and a Pakistani border post was mistaken for a militant camp, after which NATO forces were ordered to open fire.

Officials said the Taliban may have deliberated provoked friendly fire to set back the U.S. and NATO partnership with Pakistani soldiers and that the Taliban’s first attack was intended to create confusion in the border region.

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