PESHAWAR: According to security officials, battles that lasted until late Saturday night resulted in at least eight Afghan-side fatalities and thirteen injuries, including civilians.
Since Pakistani fighter planes blasted suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) bases in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika region on Tuesday, the two sides have been exchanging gunfire.
According to authorities, new confrontations that started after Afghan militants failed to enter into Pakistan resulted in the martyrdom of one Frontier Corps member and the injuries of eleven others.
Terrorists attempted to cross the border on Friday night, but security personnel stopped them.
According to sources, Pakistani forces “inflicted heavy losses” during the weekend’s battles.
The terrorists joined Afghan forces after their attempt to infiltrate was foiled, and on Saturday morning they used light and heavy weaponry to fire on Pakistani soldiers.
During daylong skirmishes, Afghan soldiers and militants targeted border stations in the districts of Ghozgarhi, Matha Sangar, Kot Ragha, and Tari Mengal.
According to accounts, Pakistani security forces caused the opposing side to suffer severe casualties in the retaliatory fire and were compelled to evacuate their border posts.
Pakistan has frequently expressed to Kabul its concerns about extremists using its territory for cross-border attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated last week that assaults on Pakistan from Afghan territory were a “red line” for the nation and urged the Afghan government to act against the TTP.
He stated that although Islamabad was willing to discuss the matter with Kabul, strikes and discussions “can’t go together.”
On their side of the border, the Afghan Taliban have reportedly been consistently aiding TTP terrorists.
Tuesday’s strikes occurred on the same day as a delegation from Pakistan, headed by Special Representative Muhammad Sadiq, met with foreign minister Amir Muttaqi and temporary interior minister Sirajudddin Haqqani in Kabul to reopen diplomatic talks following a one-year break.
The Afghan authorities stated that at least 46 people were murdered, mostly women and children, and strongly protested the airstrikes with Pakistan.
Days after 16 troops were killed in a terrorist attack on a checkpoint in the Makeen neighborhood of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, Pakistan launched its operations.
