Gunfire On Afghan-Pakistani Border Left Two Pakistani Soldiers Dead

Pakistani troops walk on a hilltop post near Ladha, a town in the tribal region of South Waziristan in May 2011

On August 29th, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in a gunfire on the border with Afghanistan. It was the first attack on Pakistani forces since the Taliban took control over the Afghanistan’s capital Kabul.

According to the Pakistani army, it retaliated and killed two or three attackers.

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

The incident took place in the Pakistan’s tribal region of Bajaur that is located along the Afghan border. This area is part of the so-called “tribal zone”, governed by the Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Territories. Islamabad officials have almost no control over this region. Fighters of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) are known to be sheltered there.

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The TTP has recently claimed its allegiance to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Its fighters and commanders are believed to have fled to Afghanistan. The group now threatens security in Pakistan, having stepped up its campaign against the Pakistani army.

Islamabad expressed its concern over “the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that existing and future set-up in Afghanistan will not allow such activities against Pakistan”.

In its turn, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhaid had previously assured that the Taliban would not allow any group to use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other forces. However, the Taliban’s promises are yet to be fulfilled.