Kabul, 28 December
Local media reported on Saturday that 19 Pakistani soldiers and three Afghan civilians were killed in heavy clashes between Afghan and Pakistani border troops at border crossing points. According to Xinhua (Xinhua) news agency, TOLOnews, quoting a source from the Ministry of National Security, said that fierce clashes are continuing in Khost and Paktika provinces of eastern Afghanistan bordering Pakistan.
Afghan border forces set fire to several Pakistani military posts in Ali Shir district of Khost province and captured two Pakistani posts in Dand-e-Patan district of Paktika province. The source further said that three Afghan civilians were killed due to mortar shells fired by Pakistani soldiers in Dand-i-Patan district.
The clashes are said to have been triggered by airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani army in Paktika province on Tuesday night. 51 people including women and children were killed in this attack. Additionally, since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan, there has been an increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been encouraged and strengthened by the new Afghan government. .
The TTP aims to establish an Islamic emirate in Pakistan, as its sister organization did in Kabul. A report by the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies revealed that there was a 56 percent increase in the number of deaths in terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2023 compared to 2022, including 500 security personnel. are, in which more than 1,500 people have been killed.
Relations between the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan government have become strained after Islamabad accused the Kabul government of spreading terrorism across the border. – IANS
