16 Afghan troops killed as forces repulse cross-border attack

International

Afghan Taliban forces launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani military posts along the Afghan border, resulting in a fierce exchange of fire.

Security sources said that the Afghan Taliban initiated unprovoked aggression along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which was met with a strong response. From the morning of September 7, the Afghan Taliban began unprovoked firing with heavy weapons at Pakistani check-posts from the Afghan area of Plosin, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

According to security sources, the unprovoked firing from the Afghan side continued until the evening of September 8 and 9. The Pakistan Army responded with a strong retaliatory fire, inflicting heavy losses on the Afghan Taliban.

So far, 16 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed, and 27 have been wounded, while two of their tanks have also been destroyed.

Security sources have stated that any form of unprovoked aggression along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border will be met with a decisive response.

This is not the first time Afghan troops have opened fire on Pakistani security forces posted at the border, sources said, adding that in the past Pakistan had shared its concerns with Kabul over such incidents. They claimed that the Afghan Taliban, apart from facilitating militant activities inside Pakistan, were now openly attacking the forces along the international border.

Pakistan had raised its concerns with Afghanistan after the attacks.

Islamabad has also called on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to rein in militants and stop their support for terrorist groups that use Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 crossing points along a 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) long border. The most commonly used ones are Torkham and Chaman, which frequently remain closed due to border clashes.__Daily Times