ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistani military on Wednesday rejected claim by a senior US army officer that Pakistani troops have recently helped direct US artillery fire into Pakistan.

    "This is baseless and ridiculous," military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said when his reaction was sought to the remarks by Army Colonel Cardon B. Crawford, the director of operations for the US military command in Afghanistan, who has been quoted as telling reporters in Washington that Pakistani troops helped direct US artillery fire into Pakistan.

    Pamela Keeton, spokeswoman for the US military command in Afghanistan, was also quoted as saying that the incident happened in early November and was mentioned in a US public statement Nov. 6.

    Keeton said militants were firing mortars at the Afghan town of Shkin in Paktika province from Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal area, when Pakistani troops used US-supplied radios to call in adjustments to artillery fire from American forces on the Afghan side of the border.

    Officials suspect some 600 to 700 mainly Uzbek and Chechen fighters allied to Al-Qaeda were hiding in Pakistan's tribal area who fled Afghanistan in late 2001 when the Taliban were toppled.

    Pakistani troops have killed some 150 Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a series of offensives in South Waziristan tribal area since last October, destroying Al-Qaeda sanctuaries and training camps, the military said. Some of those already killed and captured had Uzbek, Turkmen and Chechen features.

    Pakistani officials have repeatedly said Pakistani forces are cooperating with US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan only in intelligence sharing. Enditem