Pakistan’s army says fire across Afghan border claims two soldiers

Fast News

The army said it retaliated and killed two or three attackers in the incident that occurred in Pakistan’s Bajaur district.

Supporters of the Taliban carry the Taliban’s signature white flags in the Afghan-Pakistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, July 14, 2021. (AP)

Militant fire from across the
border in Afghanistan has killed two Pakistani soldiers,
the army said, in the second such attack since the Taliban took
over Kabul two weeks ago.

The army said it retaliated and killed two or three
attackers in Pakistan’s Bajaur district on Sunday.

Bajaur is one of several lawless tribal regions along the
Afghan border which have long sheltered militants, including a militant umbrella organisation called Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP).

READ MORE: US drone strike hits suicide bombers targeting Kabul airport

The army did not say which group was behind the attack, but
has long held that TTP leaders and fighters are sheltering in
Afghanistan after fleeing the tribal districts during military
operations targeting militants.

“As per intelligence reports, due to fire of Pakistan army
troops, 2-3 terrorists got killed and 3-4 terrorists got
injured,” the military said in a statement.

“We expected that the way things were unfolding in
Afghanistan, the violence can spill over in Pakistan,” Pakistan
army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told a news conference
on Friday. 

The incident is the second of its kind reported since the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15.

A soldier was killed in Pakistan’s Lower Dir district after taking fire from a militant across the border, an ISPR news release said on Thursday night. 

READ MORE: US drone strike hits suicide bombers targeting Kabul airport

Source: Reuters