Pakistani soldiers killed in firing along Afghanistan border

Cross-border firing by unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan’s Paktika province has killed at least two Pakistani soldiers, the country’s military says, as it renews calls for Afghanistan to manage security on its side of the border.

Pakistani forces at the military post in North Waziristan region that was targeted returned fire, the Pakistani military said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Pakistan has consistently been asking Afghanistan to ensure effective border control on their side,” read a brief Pakistani statement.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the continuous use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.”

The incident repeats a Pakistani allegation of the country’s forces coming under attack from fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its allies that are alleged to be based in eastern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan did not immediately respond to the latest allegation, but has denied that its government allows such groups to operate on Afghan soil in the past.

Afghanistan has opposed the fencing of the 2,600km (1,615 miles) long border between the two countries, as it disputes its location.

Pakistan began unilaterally building a fence at the border in March 2017 in a bid to control the flow of armed group fighters across it.

Construction of the barrier, which is generally constructed out of wire-link fencing topped with barbed wire, continues in parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.