Pakistani troops, Afghan militias clash
Pakistani forces and Afghan militias exchanged fire on Wednesday morning across their border even as Afghanistan’s interim President Hamid Karzai apologised to his counterpart Pervez Musharraf for the ransacking of Islamabad’s embassy in Kabul.
Our correspondent inIslamabad, quoting official sources, reported there was an intense exchange of fire between Afghan militias and Pakistani forces in Yakoubi Kindaw area on the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Heavy weapons were used in the fighting started by Afghan militias, a Pakistani source said. There were no casualties on the Pakistani side, the source added.
Meanwhile, Hamid Karzai apologised to Pakistan President Musharraf for the ransacking of Islamabad’s embassy on Tuesday.
Karzai said the incident would not be repeated when he spoke to Musharraf in a bid to avoid a diplomatic rift between the two countries.
Pakistan was forced to close down its embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul temporarily because of the damage caused by the mob.
Compensation offered
“President Karzai expressed regrets, apologised and assured that the Afghan government will ensure that such acts are not repeated,” a senior Pakistani government official said.
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Karzai apology defuses |
The Afghan government has also offered compensation and pledged that all those behind the attack would be punished.
The mob had smashed the windows of eight embassy cars and also damaged televisions, computers and the Pakistani ambassador’s office.
The mob was demonstrating against border incursions by Pakistani troops in the south east of the country.
Pakistan blamed the Afghan authorities for the attack and its ambassador Rustan Shah Mohmand said it was predictable as Karzai criticised Pakistan in a speech on Sunday.
Karzai in his speech had said that he was deeply saddened by certain remarks made by Musharraf, adding he was particularly incensed by Musharraf’s call for greater ethnic representation in the Afghan government and the accusation that Kabul lacked control over the country.
“Afghanistan neither interferes in anyone’s affairs, nor accepts the interference of others in its own affairs,” Karzai said on Sunday. “We have preserved our land with our blood and we will do so again and again,” he said.