KARACHI, 27 October (H.S.): The Pakistani military announced on Sunday that fresh clashes along the border with Afghanistan have killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 terrorists, a development that casts a dark shadow over fragile peace talks currently underway in Istanbul.
The violence erupted on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25, when militants attempted to cross into Pakistan's Kurram and North Waziristan districts from Afghanistan, according to a statement from the Pakistani military's media wing.
The military said the timing of the infiltration attempts cast doubt on the intentions of the government in Afghanistan in regard to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil. The military identified the attackers as belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group.
The fighting occurred at a critical juncture, as delegations from both nations were meeting in Turkey to prevent a relapse into conflict after the worst border fighting in years earlier this month. That violence, which involved heavy exchanges of fire and Pakistani airstrikes, led to a temporary truce brokered in Doha last Sunday.
On Saturday, just before the latest clashes were reported, Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, stated that he believed the truce was holding but issued a stark warning that a failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean open war.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan, which denies sheltering militants and accuses Pakistan of violating its sovereignty with military operations, has not yet officially commented on the latest clashes.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
