2011 NATO attack in Pakistan

2011 NATO attack in Pakistan
Part of the Pakistan–United States skirmishes
Two American Apache helicopters, along with other aircraft, attacked Pakistani posts
Date 26 November 2011; 12 years ago (2011-11-26) Location Salala, Baizai Tehsil, Mohmand Agency, FATA, Pakistan 34°30′N 71°00′E / 34.5°N 71.0°E / 34.5; 71.0 Result Pakistan closes NATO supply routes Political fallout strains US-Pakistani relations Pakistan Army put on heightened alert along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border Pakistan boycotts 2nd Bonn Conference on Afghanistan Deterioration of Pakistan–United States relations Pakistan orders U.S. military to vacate Shamsi Airfield[1] Pakistan reopens supply routes after US issues apology
Belligerents
Pakistan	NATO  United States  Afghanistan Afghan National Army
Commanders and leaders
Maj Mujahid Mirani †[2][3] Capt. Usman Ali †[3][4]	Unknown
Strength
40 troops Anti-aircraft guns[5]	2 AH-64D Apache Longbows 1 AC-130H Spectre gunship 2 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets 1 MC-12W Liberty intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, unknown number of U.S troops
Casualties and losses
24 killed 13 wounded 2 checkposts destroyed	Unknown
Salala class=notpageimage| Location of the attack within Pakistan

The 2011 NATO attack in Pakistan (also known as the Salala incident, Salala attack or 26/11 attacks)^[6][7] was a border skirmish that occurred when United States-led NATO forces engaged Pakistani security forces at two Pakistani military checkposts along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border on 26 November 2011, with both sides later claiming that the other had fired first.^[8] Two NATO Apache helicopters,^[5][9][10] an AC-130 gunship^[5] and two F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets entered as little as 200 metres (660 ft)^[11] to up to 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi)^[12] into the Pakistani border area of Salala (located in the Baizai subdivision of the Mohmand Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas) at 2 a.m. local time.^[13] They came from across the border in Afghanistan and opened or returned fire at two Pakistani border patrol check-posts, killing 28 Pakistani soldiers^[8][12][14] and wounding 12 others.^[12] This attack resulted in a deterioration of relations between Pakistan and the United States. The Pakistani public reacted with protests all over the country and the government took measures adversely affecting the American exit strategy from Afghanistan, including the evacuation of Shamsi Airfield and closure of the NATO supply line in Pakistan.

On 3 July 2012, then-United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially apologized for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. Subsequently, Pakistan restored the NATO supply routes.^[15]