Cross border attack kills FC soldier in Bajaur

Published August 1, 2014
A Pakistani soldier holds a rocket launcher while securing a road in Bajaur tribal agency.—Reuters/File Photo
A Pakistani soldier holds a rocket launcher while securing a road in Bajaur tribal agency.—Reuters/File Photo

PESHAWAR: One Frontier Corps (FC) soldier has been killed in a cross border attack at Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Mamond Tehsil of Bajaur Agency, military officials said on Friday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has confirmed that the suspected militants from across the border opened fire on the security forces in Kaghi Pass area of Mamond Tehsil, killing one FC soldier.

The forces also returned the fire, but the casualty figure on the militants’ side could not be confirmed, said the ISPR statement.

This is the second incident of cross border attacks in the last few days. However, this information could not be independently verified as the access of media is severely restricted in the region.

Pakistan had summoned a senior Afghan diplomat on Wednesday and registered a protest over the skirmish during which Pakistani security forces foiled a militant attack on a checkpost on the Pak-Afghan border.

Military sources were quoted as saying that six attackers were killed and nine wounded during a cross-border militant assault in Lower Dir region.


Pakistan summons Afghan diplomat again


Meanwhile, Pakistan lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan over the attack that took place earlier today.

“Afghan Charge d’ Affairs in Islamabad was summoned to Foreign office over the incident and protest was lodges with him,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said in a statement issued in Islamabad.

“A Pakistani soldier embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) due to sniper fire from the Afghan side of the border at a Pakistani military post near Ghakhai Pass in Bajaur Agency,” she said.

“It was stressed to the Charge d’ Affaires that the Afghan authorities must take concrete action to stop such incidents and prevent the recurrence of cross-border fire and physical attacks by terrorists operating from Afghan territory,” the FO spokesperson demanded.

Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghan authorities not to provide shelter to militants fleeing from North Waziristan tribal region and to destroy militant hideouts on its territory at a time when the country was undertaking a monumental effort against terrorists and their hideouts through the launch of operation Zarb-i-Azb.

Earlier in June this year the military launched a full-scale operation against Taliban militants in North Waziristan tribal region, named as Zarb-i-Azb, following a brazen Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-claimed attack on Karachi's International Airport and failure of peace talks between government and Taliban nominated negotiators.

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