US Suspects NATO Forces Lured Into Deadly Raid

A Pakistani woman joins other to condemn NATO strikes on Pakistani posts, in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011.

WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO and Pakistani forces may have attacked one another in a tragic case of mistaken identity — each thinking the other side was Taliban, according to the first battlefield accounts after the worst incident of fratricide since the Afghan war began.

According to the U.S. military records described to The Associated Press, a joint U.S. and Afghan patrol requested backup after being hit by mortar and small arms fire by Taliban militants. Before responding, the joint U.S.-Afghan patrol first checked with thePakistani army, which reported it had no troops in the area, the military account said.

A Pakistani army timeline presents a dueling narrative, of Pakistani frontier scouts spotting what they thought was suspicious activity, and opening fire, not knowing a friendly patrol was carrying out an operation in their area.

U.S. officials are also investigating the possibility that the Taliban may have lured a joint U.S-Afghan patrol into attacking friendlyPakistani border posts, according to preliminary U.S. military reports.

The NATO air assault over the weekend killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and injured more than a dozen others. The incident has sent the perpetually difficult U.S.-Pakistan relationship into a tailspin.

Both militaries say the engagement lasted roughly two hours. What's unclear is why the U.S. aerial bombardment of Pakistani border posts continued, long after Pakistani officials say they reported to NATO that their forces were under fire.

Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Gen. Ashfaq Nadeem called the incident a "deliberate act of aggression" and said it was "next to impossible that NATO" did not know it was attacking Pakistani forces.

Pentagon press secretary George Little declined to respond directly.

"No one at this point has the complete narrative on what happened and I think it's important that we wait for the investigation to occur," Little said.

Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, announced Monday he has appointed Brig. Gen. Stephen Clark, an Air Force special operations officer, to lead the probe of the incident, and said he must include input from the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, as well as representatives from the Afghan and Pakistani governments.

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