It appears that the Pakistanis have gotten a bit hot under the collar about US incursions, as they have just authorized firing on US troops if they cross the border:
“The orders are clear,” Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said in an interview. “In case it happens again in this form, that there is a very significant detection, which is very definite, no ambiguity, across the border, on ground or in the air: open fire.”
Jeff Stein of CQ politics, makes a very good point here, that Pakistan increasingly seems to resemble Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge.
- The Cambodians tolerated the North Vietnamese, the Pakistanis the Taliban.
- The US engaged in cross border bombing to target their opponent.
- The US escalated to cross border troop actions.
- The effect of the escalation was to drive the local populace to our opponents.
- The leader of the country was ousted.
There is one difference though, which Mr. Stein notes: Pakistan has nuclear weapons.