06 January 2005	Thursday	24 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: The military authorities on Wednesday described the incident of firing on Pakistan-Afghanistan border earlier this week as one of 'minor tactical nature' and advised the media to avoid interpreting and blowing up such incidents 'out of proportion'.

A press release issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the media portrayed the firing incident of a "minor tactical nature as a clash between Pakistan and Afghan forces and interpreting it as heightening of tension".

It said that on January 2 and 3 certain unknown elements "from inside the Afghan territory resorted to unprovoked firing on own (Pakistani) troops which resulted in Shahadat of one soldier while three others were injured".

"Own (Pakistani) troops while exercising maximum restraint had to respond in self-defence after which the firing stopped," said the ISPR. Pakistani authorities were not sure about damage caused to the miscreants by their firing. It said the situation was normal and no untoward incident had taken place after January 3.

AFP ADDS: In Kabul, the US military dismissed the clash as a misunderstanding. "We believe that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding between the two sides present on the ground at the time," US military spokesman Major Mark McCann told reporters.

Pakistan had earlier asked the US military to investigate what it described as the "unprovoked" fatal mortar attack in the mountainous North Waziristan tribal zone.

Maj. McCann said that the 18,000-strong US-led forces who had been fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan for the last three years were not involved in the clashes but some troops were sent to determine the situation.