Gen. Ashfaq Kayani’s forces engaged in some saber-rattling against American troops last night. This comes after a Pakistani border force which allegedly fired on American troops was wiped out by a U.S. airstrike, and after the CIA accused the ISI of assisting the Kabul Indian embassy bombing:

Firing by Pakistani troops forced U.S. military helicopters to turn back to Afghanistan after they crossed into Pakistani territory early on Monday… Another security official said on Monday that U.S. armored vehicles were also seen moving on the Afghan side of the border, while U.S. warplanes were seen overhead. He said Pakistani soldiers sounded a bugle call and fired in the air, forcing the helicopters to return to Afghan territory. [Reuters]

The confrontation began at around midnight, local people say. They say seven US helicopter gunships and two troop-carrying Chinook helicopters landed in the Afghan province of Paktika near the Zohba mountain range. US troops from the Chinooks then tried to cross the border. As they did so, Pakistani paramilitary soldiers at a checkpoint opened fire into the air and the US troops decided not to continue forward, local Pakistani officials say. Reports say the firing lasted for several hours. [BBC]

In the U.S., Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/Long Island) is raising a stink over the F-16s sold to Pakistan:

The United States is suddenly faced with the uncomfortable scenario of confronting the very same weapons and military hardware, including F-16 fighter jets, it has armed Pakistan with for decades… On Tuesday, a Democrat-controlled House Foreign Relations panel has scheduled a hearing [with a] snarky title — “Defeating al-Qaida’s Air Force: Pakistan’s F-16 Program in the Fight Against Terrorism”… [ToI]

A full-on war with Pakistan is in no one’s interest, and having an American force camped out next door might not be good for India. But applying pressure on the Pakistani military to stop double-dealing and clean up their jihadis? Or doing it for them? Barack Obama, whose foreign policy Dubya is suddenly intent on executing in service of his legacy, is right: it’s long overdue. As Dubya knows better than anyone, getting religion is better late than never.

Who knows? With less than four months to go in office, Dubya might even be getting serious about finding bin Laden.