 "Photo: Mohammad Sajjad, The Associated Press")
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A deadly American-led raid on a Pakistani village embarrassed the government and eroded support for the pro-U.S. presidential front-runner Thursday just two days before the election.
Furor continued to mount over the first known foreign ground assault inside Pakistan against a suspected Taliban haven. The government summoned the U.S. ambassador for an official protest, while Parliament passed resolutions of condemnation.
Officials said at least 15 people died, including women and children. The Foreign Ministry said no militant leaders were killed, and there was no sign the attackers detained anyone.
U.S. officials declined public comment, but a U.S. military official said intelligence had indicated the presence in the village of people "clearly associated with attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan."
The raid has complicated life for presidential front-runner Asif Ali Zardari and his governing Pakistan People's Party as he heads into Saturday's vote to elect a successor to former President Pervez Musharraf, who resigned under pressure last month.
The party, which came to power after defeating Musharraf's allies in February, is generally supportive of Washington's war on terrorism, but it has to tread carefully; many Pakistanis blame the alliance for fueling violence by Islamic militants in their country.
In a column published Thursday in The Washington Post, Zardari, widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said Pakistan is committed to fighting terrorist groups.
"We stand with the United States, Britain, Spain and others who have been attacked," wrote Zardari. "Fundamentally, however, the war we are fighting is our war. This battle is for Pakistan's soul.
"I will work to defeat the domestic Taliban insurgency and to ensure that Pakistani territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on our neighbors or on NATO forces in Afghanistan."
The raid has cut into support for Zardari's presidential bid.
The leader of a group of lawmakers from the tribal areas along the Afghan border, Munir Khan Orakzai, said they would not vote for Zardari, calling the attack evidence that the new government has failed to bring peace to their troubled region.
Zafar Ali Shah, a lawmaker from the chief opposition party of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said Pakistan should tell America: "Enough is enough, and we will not help you if you kill our people. The American war against terrorism has become a war against Pakistan."
A People's Party spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said the attack threatens to undermine joint efforts with the West. He said Zardari condemned the attack and wanted compensation paid to the victims.
"We have been very clear that any action on this side of the border must be taken by the Pakistani forces themselves," Babar said.
Pakistan's ambassador said American attacks inside Pakistan pose a "big problem" for the government in trying to rally domestic support for confronting militants.
"We want, and have been trying to convince our Western friends that this democratic government has just come into being - and that we'll complete the democratic process by electing Zardari or someone else - but then please give us some space so that we can implement our plans," Wajid Hasan said.
Analysts said that despite public anger, Pakistan is too economically dependent on the U.S. to risk cutting ties. Washington has given billions of dollars in aid, and past protests over suspected U.S. missile attacks inside Pakistani territory have had little effect on relations.
Still, Talat Masood, a political and military analyst, said the U.S. would be wise to avoid another ground assault.
"If this is repeated in any way, I am certain that it will have a very serious impact," Masood said. "This government is trying to change the perception of the people that this is our war. It was trying to get a good relationship with the people of Pakistan and the United States. And then there comes this intervention."
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