Pakistani Troops Reportedly Fire On US Helicopters

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Two U.S. helicopters reportedly crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan late Sunday night — and Pakistani troops and tribesmen opened fire on them.

Intelligence officials say the helicopters didn’t shoot back and flew back into Afghan airspace. The reported incursion was in North Waziristan, the tribal region that the U.S. considers to be a Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuary.

Last week, a Pakistani military spokesman said troops had orders to open fire in case of another cross-border raid by foreign troops. And Pakistan’s new president recently warned that no country would be allowed to violate Pakistan’s sovereignty in the name of the war on terror.

The Pakistani leader will be meeting with President Bush at this week’s U.N. gathering in New York.