Pakistan says militants from Afghan side killed soldier

Islamabad, Aug 22 (IANS) The Pakistan military Friday said that Afghanistan-based militants attacked a border post in southwestern Balochistan province and killed a soldier.

“Today about 70 to 80 terrorists intruded from Afghanistan side into Pakistani territory in Muslim Bagh sector in Balochistan,” the military sources said.

The sources said Pakistani troops confronted the intruders and a soldier of the paramilitary Frontier Corps was killed during an exchange of fire, Xinhua reported.

There was no word on which militant group was involved in the attack. Afghanistan has also not commented on the report.

Security officials say that Pakistani Taliban militants have fled to Afghanistan as a result of military operations and now operate from there.

The military insists that Pakistani Taliban who have regrouped in eastern Kunar and Nuristan provinces routinely launch attacks on the border posts.

Intrusion by the militants into Balochistan from the Afghan side of the border is rare as they usually use the eastern parts of the neighbouring country for attacks. Both countries have a nearly 2,500-km porous border.

Cross-border attacks in recent months have led to diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.

Afghanistan also alleged rocket firing into its part of the border from Pakistani soil. Kabul also alleges that Afghan Taliban are hiding and planning attacks from Pakistan.

Pakistan’s top security adviser Sartaj Aziz Thursday told the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad to “share evidence” with the country to substantiate claims of Islamabad’s “support to terrorism and attacks from the Pakistani side”.