PESHAWAR: A Pakistani soldier was martyred when security forces and suspe­cted militants based across the border in Afgha­nistan exchanged fire in North Waziristan tribal district, the military said on Sunday.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Rela­tions (ISPR) identified the soldier as Niaz Ali, adding that the incident occurred across a fenced part of the North Waziristan border.

“We shall... complete the fencing undeterred,” the ISPR director general tweeted, saying Afghan cooperation was required [for fencing of the border], which was in the interest of both countries.

Pakistan began the fencing of the border in 2017 to prevent cross-border movement of terrorists and human trafficking between the two countries. Fencing is part of a comprehensive border management plan. However, the Afghan government is unhappy with the multi-billion rupees project.

This was the second such attack in the Waziristan region. Two soldiers were martyred and six militants killed in South Waziristan on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2018