More than two hundred schoolteachers and students take to the streets of the Pakistani side of the disputed Kashmir region, to protest against a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani troops two weeks ago.
Anger has grown over the November 26 cross-border air strike by NATO forces in Afghanistan fueling a wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and giving rise to a spate of protests across the country.
SOUNDBITE) ( Urdu) SYED NAZEER HUSSAIN SHAH, PRESIDENT OF AZAD KASHMIR SCHOOLTEACHERS ORGANIZATION, SAYING:
"We are protesting against NATO forces and American aggression, and want to tell these aggressors that the Pakistani forces are not alone. All of us are ready to tie bombs to our chests and destroy the NATO forces. With the grace of Allah, the followers of the holy Prophet present here are 'ghazis' (holy warriors) and are ready to embrace martyrdom."
NATO has described the killings as a "tragic, unintended incident."
The attack on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan has complicated U.S. attempts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
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