Nato expressed regret yesterday over air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers as the US sought to repair relations with Islamabad, plunged into fresh crisis over the lethal attack.

Stay away Americans, Pakistan is ours, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our army

Pakistan reacted with fury over the killings of two dozen soldiers, widely interpreted in the local media as a “deliberate” assault by Nato helicopters and fighter jets on two military posts on the Afghan border early Saturday.

Islamabad conveyed its anger to the United States, blocked Nato convoys from crossing into Afghanistan, ordered a review of its alliance with the US and mulled whether to boycott a key conference on Afghanistan next month.

Hundreds of enraged Pakistanis took to the streets, burning an effigy of President Barack Obama and setting fire to US flags across the country of 167 million where opposition to the government’s US alliance is rampant.

At the largest rally, attended by 700 people outside the US consulate in the port city of Karachi, protesters shouted “stay away Americans, Pakistan is ours, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our army”.

The US, which depends on Pakistan as a vital lifeline to supply 130,000 foreign troops fighting in landlocked Afghanistan, on Sunday scrambled to salvage the alliance, backing a full inquiry and expressing condolences.

Nato also sought to soothe Islamabad’s rage, but stopped short of issuing a full apology to Pakistan for the “tragic, unintended” killings.

A Western official said allies were trying to ascertain “exactly” what Pakistan’s public position meant and to prevent lasting damage as a result of the suspended supply lines into Afghanistan.