Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s army chief, General Parvez Ashfaq Kayani, has told his troops they can respond to any future attacks by NATO or U.S. forces without waiting for orders from senior officers, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Kayani directed his soldiers to retaliate against any act of aggression with full force regardless of the cost and consequences, the report said, citing a message drafted by Kayani for troops. NATO helicopters based in Afghanistan killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in an attack on border posts Nov. 25. The U.S.-led force is investigating the incident.

--Editor: Mark Williams

To contact the reporter on this story: Haris Anwar in Islamabad at hanwar2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net