| Chicago Tribune ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In the aftermath of an extraordinary U.S. military foray into Pakistan's tribal area earlier this week, the U.S. faced stiff condemnation Thursday from Pakistani officials who argued that their government had been undermined by the apparently unilateral American action on Pakistan's soil. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS The day after a predawn raid in South Waziristan that Pakistani officials said killed at least 15 civilians, the country's foreign minister summoned Ambassador Anne Patterson, the U.S. envoy to Islamabad, for an explanation of the operation, which Pakistani officials say was conducted without their leaders being consulted or warned. Both houses of the Pakistan's parliament, which are scheduled to elect a new president Saturday, also passed unanimous resolutions condemning the attack. Members of the National Assembly from the tribal areas walked out in protest of the raid. According to residents of the area, U.S. Special Operations Forces shot and killed members of a pro-government tribe that has driven out foreign militants in the past and has been fighting against the Tehrik-e-Taliban, the umbrella group for the Pakistani Taliban. The White House, the Pentagon and State Department have refused to speak about the incident and would not even confirm the raid happened. But a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of cross-border operations, confirmed that U.S. troops conducted the mission. The official said the raid targeted militants suspected of carrying out attacks against U.S., NATO and Afghan forces across the Afghan border. From Pakistan's politicians and tribal leaders, there was tough talk and anger against the U.S. for sending troops into Pakistan. "In my personal opinion, people are going to turn more against the government", said Habibullah Khan, the civil administrator of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. "People were very angry -- it was almost like a revolt. If such things happen, how can we convince the people that, 'Look, we are taking care of you. You support the government, and the government will take care of you.' Who will believe that?" The U.S.-led troops allegedly landed in two helicopters about 4 a.m. in Torjikhel, officials said, and then burst into the home of two brothers, killing 10 people in the house. The troops then fired at people in two or three other houses, Khan said. It remains to be seen whether the incident will affect Saturday's scheduled presidential election. Some parliamentarians also threatened to pull their support from Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and front-runner for the presidency. The situation was further complicated by reports that a U.S. missile strike was suspected in a blast Thursday that killed at least four people in North Waziristan. U.S. officials neither confirmed nor denied that the U.S. was involved in that incident. For years, the U.S. has launched controversial airstrikes in the tribal areas. But the ground raid may signal a new stage in what the U.S. is willing to do in the tribal areas, which are seen increasingly as safe havens for militants launching attacks against NATO-led troops in Afghanistan. Over the past several months, Pakistani officials have faced increasing pressure from the Pentagon to do more to take on militants operating along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Last month, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other top U.S. military officials quietly met with Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to discuss deteriorating security along the border. Few details of the discussion were disclosed, but Mullen told reporters last week that he came away from the meeting encouraged that Kayani had taken action to improve border area security but that more needed to be done. Even before that meeting, Defense Secretary Robert Gates had taken an increasingly critical tone on Pakistan's efforts to take on militants along the border and in July said that the U.S. was "ready, willing and able" to help Islamabad go after militant groups in its tribal regions. The raid Wednesday killed at least 15 people -- three children, four women and eight men. All were related and none were militants, Pakistani officials said. The men were shopkeepers and bus drivers, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, spokesman for the Pakistani army, after an initial investigation. "They had absolutely nothing to do with Taliban or militants", Abbas said. "This was totally, completely unprovoked. Their gates and doors were broken down, and they were killed in cold blood." Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to comment about the incident or the allegations made by Pakistani officials. In general, the Defense Department resists speaking publicly about operations involving Special Forces and other elite troops who carry out some of the U.S. military's most highly classified missions. But the wall of silence in Washington was particularly perplexing in light of the seething anger and accusations voiced by Pakistani officials. Speaking to reporters Thursday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino wouldn't comment about the incident but underscored that Pakistan and the U.S. remain in a fight against "a common enemy." "I will reiterate that we've been working closely with the new civilian government of Pakistan that is feeling its way and working to establish itself", Perino said. Mullah Ehsan, an influential cleric who lives in Angoor Adda, the nearest town to Torjikhel, said in a telephone interview that people remain angry. Eventually, Ehsan said, they would get even. "We are going to take revenge", Ehsan said. "But we will wait."
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