Several personnel of Afghan Taliban regime killed during operation, security sources say
Pakistani soldiers keep vigil next to newly fenced border fencing along with Afghan’s Paktika province border in Angoor Adda in South Waziristan. Photo: AFP
The Pakistan Army successfully targeted and destroyed several posts and military positions of the Afghan Taliban in the areas adjacent to South Waziristan and Parachinar, state-run Radio Pakistan said on Friday, citing security sources.
It added that the army gave a befitting reply to unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban along the Pak-Afghan border in the Angoor Adda area on Thursday using heavy weaponry and forcing the Taliban personnel to abandon their posts and flee.
The report indicated that several personnel of the Afghan Taliban regime were killed during the operation. It added that security forces remain committed to the defence of the country and the protection of its people, and there will be no compromise on national security.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have strained due to recurring cross-border terrorism and security concerns.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to prevent terrorist organisations, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), from using its territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul, however, has rejected the claims.
The latest escalation followed an incident on October 27 when Afghan Taliban forces opened fire on Pakistani border posts and civilian areas in Angoor Adda, Lower South Waziristan. According to military officials, mortar shelling struck a residential area, killing one civilian and injuring five members of the same family. In response, Pakistan destroyed Afghan Taliban check posts.
The confrontation was not limited to the border.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence accused Pakistani forces of carrying out strikes against Afghan installations, while Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the account, describing it as a fabrication.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also warned the Afghan government that Pakistan would not tolerate attacks against its population or violations of its territorial sovereignty.
