said: "Our soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty. They died fighting terrorism". Religious leaders and scholars of the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and Baháʼí communities also condemned the incident during an inter-faith meeting. Reaction by the US and NATO The White House released a statement in which it said that senior American officials had expressed their condolences to Pakistan and that the officials expressed "our desire to work together to determine what took place, and our commitment to the U.S.-Pakistan partnership which advances our shared interests, including fighting terrorism in the region". US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke to their Pakistani counterparts to give their "deepest condolences" in a joint statement and also supported a NATO investigation. The commander of the International Security Assistance Force is "personally paying the highest attention" to the matter. The Obama administration pledged co-operation with Pakistan and ordered a full investigation and inquiry to be conducted into the attack. A few days later after the incident, President Barack Obama personally phoned President Asif Ali Zardari to express his sorrow over the deaths of the soldiers and, according to a press release, "made it clear that this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States' strong commitment to a full investigation." while stopping short of offering a formal apology. A NATO spokesman said that NATO "regrets the loss of life of any Pakistani servicemen". On 27 November 2011, NATO issued an apology for what it called a "tragic unintended incident". In addition, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is reported to have written to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani commenting that "the deaths of Pakistani personnel are as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel". "We have a joint interest in the fight against cross-border terrorism and in ensuring that Afghanistan does not once again become a safe haven for terrorists," Rasmussen was quoted as saying. The US Chief of Army Staff, General Martin Dempsey, said Pakistan's anger was justified as it had a reason to be furious given the loss of life. However, Dempsey did not apologise, saying he did not know enough about the incident and an inquiry was still being conducted. A senior advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that Pakistan and Afghanistan may be on a course toward military conflict. Hamid Karzai contacted