Pakistan and Afghan Taliban forces keep trading fire along border
Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban kept trading fire on their border over the weekend. Afghan sources said seven Pakistani soldiers died, and Pakistan said it destroyed Taliban posts. No one could confirm either side's claims, and Russian and European officials want talks.
Pakistani forces and Afghanistan's Taliban have kept exchanging fire along their border, with each side blaming the other and making competing claims about casualties, FDD's Long War Journal and India Today reported.
The clashes have continued at several spots since Oct. 12, the Long War Journal reported. On Oct. 17, the two sides fired on each other for nearly four hours in Pakistan's Kurram district and across the border in Afghanistan's Paktia province, using light and heavy weapons, including Pakistani artillery.
The casualty claims come from each side and could not be independently confirmed, India Today reported. Afghan media and security sources said seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and six injured. Pakistani sources said their forces killed several Taliban fighters and destroyed two Taliban border posts, the Long War Journal reported. Media linked to Pakistan claimed 13 fighters from the Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, were killed. Afghan media reported that Pakistani rockets hit homes.
Each side says the other started it. Afghan security sources said their forces were responding to Pakistani fire and accused Islamabad of building unauthorized border posts, India Today reported. Pakistani officials blamed Afghan border guards and said they responded in proportion. Pakistan also said the Taliban gave covering fire for militants slipping into Pakistan.
The fighting disrupted cross-border trade and forced people in nearby villages to flee, India Today reported.
The latest round began after a suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan on Sept. 18 killed 31 people, the Long War Journal reported. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering the TTP and other groups that attack it. Kabul denies this. A United Nations report counted 13 civilian deaths from cross-border attacks between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Diplomats are trying to calm things. European Union envoy Thomas Frellesen visited Kabul from Oct. 12 to 14 and urged dialogue, the Long War Journal reported. Russia's interior minister met Pakistan's army chief on Oct. 14. China's foreign minister said Oct. 15 that the Taliban must act against militant groups.
What we know: The two sides have traded fire at several points on the border since Oct. 12.
What we don't: How many people have been killed, since neither side's claims have been confirmed.
Where outlets agree FDD's Long War Journal and India Today both report clashes in Kurram and Paktia, with Afghan sources claiming seven Pakistani soldiers killed.
Where they differ Afghan sources say Pakistan fired first and lost seven soldiers, while Pakistan says it was answering Afghan fire and destroyed Taliban posts.