"Two NATO helicopters violated Pakistan air space today at Admi Kot Post North Waziristan Agency in the early hours of the morning," the Pakistani army said in a statement released hours after the incident.
"The troops at the post fired upon the helicopters and, as a result of [the] exchange of fire, two of our soldiers received injuries," the statement said. "Pakistan army has lodged strong protest and demanded a flag meeting."
Meanwhile, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said it was aware of the incident and promised to launch an investigation into the claims made by the Pakistani military. But, it insisted that the two helicopters were inside Afghan airspace when the incident happened.
"This effort will be pursued in a co-operative manner using the border co-ordination center partnership," an ISAF spokeswoman said in a statement.
The incident in question happened in the early hours of Tuesday after soldiers at the security checkpost fired aerial warning shots to dissuade two NATO helicopters from intruding into Pakistan. The exchange of fire reportedly took place after one of the NATO helicopters responded to the warning shots by opening retaliatory fire.
The development follows the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan. Pakistan has criticized the U.S. operation, insisting that it violated the country's sovereignty.source
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