U.S. denies claims of incursion into Pakistani territory

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Confusion swirled over a possible incursion by U.S. forces into Pakistani territory in South Waziristan on Monday.

Local residents and a Pakistani government official said two U.S. helicopters were repulsed when Pakistani soldiers fired at them, but the Pakistani and U.S. military publicly denied any such incident, and a Pakistani intelligence official said a U.S. helicopter had mistakenly crossed the border briefly, leading Pakistani ground forces to fire into the air.

The Pakistani official, a senior official who deals with the tribal areas and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. troops had tried to land in South Waziristan in a mountainous region with forest on the border with Afghanistan.

The official said Pakistani troops and locals, incensed at U.S. incursions, fired on the helicopters.

Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a spokesman for Central Command, said no U.S. helicopters or other forces were involved in any such incident. Maj. Murad Khan, a military spokesman in Rawalpindi, said, "There has been no border violation and we have not fired on the Americans."

Tensions have been mounting since the United States intensified its campaign in Pakistan's border areas against extremists suspected of having ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban. The United States contends insurgents use the border areas as a refuge to stage attacks against U.S. and NATO soldiers in southern Afghanistan.

A flurry of missile strikes inside Pakistan fired from U.S. pilotless aircraft and the first publicly acknowledged ground operation by U.S. Special Operations forces against Taliban operating inside Pakistan earlier this month have caused grave concern in Pakistan, and its military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has said Pakistan would safeguard its territorial integrity.