Pakistan troops destroy Afghan Taliban posts in Upper Kurram after border firing
Pakistan's army responded with heavy weapons and artillery against Afghan Taliban border posts in Upper Kurram after unprovoked firing aimed at facilitating cross-border infiltration, state media reported.
Pakistani security forces retaliated against unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kurram district on Saturday, state broadcaster PTV News reported (Dawn, https://www.dawn.com/news/2037914/troops-retaliate-against-border-firing-by-afghan-taliban).
PTV News and state-run APP, citing security sources, said Afghan Taliban forces opened fire in the Taidah sector of Upper Kurram to “facilitate the infiltration of terrorists” across the border. The Pakistan Army responded with heavy weapons, destroying several Afghan Taliban posts and forcing their personnel to flee, according to the reports.
APP quoted security sources as saying several Afghan Taliban personnel were “reportedly killed during the Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action along the Ghuzgarhi border”. The army also targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Topsar post and Shipola base camp with artillery fire, reportedly destroying the latter completely. The exchange of fire was continuing, APP said.
The skirmish came a day after Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said talks with Afghanistan could not be unconditional, while rejecting suggestions Islamabad was unwilling to engage with Kabul and saying Pakistan would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to help resolve the dispute.
More on this topic: all World stories
