Pakistani army: Militant fire from Afghanistan kills soldier

Peshawar, November 3

Militant gunfire from across the border with Afghanistan on Tuesday killed a Pakistani soldier and wounded two others, Pakistan’s military said, the latest in militant attacks on troops in the region.

The attack targeted a border post in the village of Manzaikai in southwestern Baluchistan province, the military said in a statement. It said Pakistan has constantly been asking Afghan authorities to take effective measures on their side of the border “to rein in cross-border terrorist incidents”.

The military provided no further details, but Pakistan and Afghanistan often accuse each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along their shared porous frontier, which stretches some 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) across rugged mountainous terrain.

Pakistan’s border areas have served as a base for militants until a few years ago, when the army claimed it cleared the regions of insurgents. However, occasional attacks have continued, raising fears that the Pakistani Taliban are regrouping in the area. — AP