Pakistan has announced a boycott of an upcoming international conference on Afghanistan in protest of the deadly NATO cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a military checkpoint. The international gathering is due to take place in Germany next week to discuss the future of Afghanistan following NATO’s scheduled withdrawal in 2014. The boycott announcement follows Pakistan’s earlier moves demanding the U.S. vacate an air base as well as blocking NATO supply lines. A NATO spokesperson said the bombing is still under investigation.
Carsten Jacobson: “There unfortunately were a number of Pakistan military casualties. The ongoing investigation regarding this incident is underway and has the highest level of the ISAF commander’s attention. The commander of ISAF, General Allen, has put great emphasis the last couple of days that this will be investigated thoroughly.”