The three Americans killed
by an improvised explosive device in Pakistan were American military
trainers and not contractors working for Xe Services, the firm formerly known
as Blackwater USA, Special Representative Richard
Holbrooke said Wednesday.
Two more American military personnel were injured in the
roadside blast near Peshawar and are being evacuated to Islamabad, Holbrooke
said, adding they are both expected to survive. All five were part of a convoy
on the way to the inauguration of a girls' school in the western area of
Pakistan, Holbrooke said.
And all five were regular military engaged in a training
mission, not secret offensive paramilitary forces, as alleged by the Taliban,
which has claimed credit for the attack.
"They're certain to say that. That's what they
do. They're adept at propaganda and disinformation," Holbrooke
said, "But the facts are the facts and when -- and in the appropriate
moment, after notification of next of kin and appropriate things, I'm sure
their names and their exact rank will be publicly disclosed, as we always
do. There's nothing secret about their presence there."
Read More
(1)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE