White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered repeated condolences to the nation of Pakistan and the families of the Pakistani soldiers killed in a NATO airstrike, and affirmed that President Obama was waiting for the results of an investigation to judge why the strike occurred, although early reports from NATO officials indicate that the strike came in self-defense.
“The president’s reaction is all of our reaction [to the strike],” Carney said today during the press briefing, calling the strike “a tragedy.” He added that “We mourn the brave Pakistani service members who lost their lives and our sympathies go out to their families and to Pakistan.”
Asked if Obama had an “open mind” about the events leading up to the air strike, Carney agreed. “We’re very interested in having it investigated and finding out exactly what happened,” he added moments later.
The Guardian reports that “A spokesman for Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said it was “highly likely” that aircraft which had been called into the area to provide “close air support” to troops on the ground was responsible for causing casualties among the Pakistani soldiers.”
