Home Latest News Taliban Blame Attempt to Build Border Post for Kurram Shootout

Taliban Blame Attempt to Build Border Post for Kurram Shootout

Spokesman says incident is being investigated and urges authorities to avoid building any infrastructure near the Durand Line in future

by Staff Report

The 2,600km border fence on the Durand Line. Photograph by Nazar Ul Islam

A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday claimed a cross-border firing incident that led to the martyrdom of three Pakistani soldiers was provoked by attempts to build a checkpost close to the Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Emirate-e-Islamia Afghanistan Deputy Spokesman Bilal Karimi said that “as a matter of principle,” posts and military installations should not be built in close proximity to the Durand Line. On Tuesday, however, he said the forces tried to build a post very close to the Durand Line.

Reacting to this, he claimed, “some people from the Emirate-e-Islamia approached” the soldiers to discuss the matter. “Unfortunately, Pakistani forces opened fire on them and, as a result, there were casualties,” he claimed.

“Subsequently, there was an exchange of fire between the two sides, which might have caused some casualties on the other side [Pakistan] as well,” he said, adding the incident was being investigated. However, he said, to avoid such incidents in future, authorities should avoid constructing facilities in areas close to the Durand Line.

On Tuesday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said three Pakistani soldiers had embraced martyrdom after “terrorists from inside Afghanistan” fired on them in the Kurram tribal district. “As per credible intelligence reports, due to fire of own troops, terrorists suffered heavy casualties,” it said, and urged the interim government of Afghanistan to ensure its soil was not used by terrorists for activities against Pakistan.

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