Pakistan summons Afghan envoy over killing of 4 soldiers in rocket fire

According to an announcement by the foreign ministry, the government lodged a “strong protest against the mortar shelling from Afghanistan in Khyber Agency this morning at around 0900 hrs, as a result of which four Pakistani soldiers embraced Shahadat and four others were critically injured”.

According to the Express Tribune, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that rounds fired by terrorists from the Afghanistan side hit an 8,000-feet-high Pakistani post in the Akhandwala Pass.

Pakistan stated militants firing from Afghan territory killed 4 of its troopers alongside the border on Sunday, as tensions continued to rise between the neighbors.

Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai was summoned for the second time in every week by the Pakistani authorities and informed “such incidents don’t augur properly for the constructive trajectory of relations”, a press release from Pakistan’s Overseas Ministry stated. “Pakistani troops befittingly responded and eliminated the group of terrorists”, statement added.

A day earlier, Kabul had summoned the Pakistani envoy in the country to inform him that Islamabad initiated the conflict that killed eight Afghan soldiers.

It said Pakistan fully condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations and is willing to collaborate with Afghanistan to fight the common enemy.

Khyber serves as one of the main trade and transit routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Pakistani Taliban an other militant groups used to have strong bases.

The ambassador was also requested to urge his government to ensure the safety and security of our personnel at the Embassy and Consulates and Pakistani diaspora in Afghanistan.

He assured that Afghanistan attaches great importance to the security of Pakistani personnel. This is not the first time that a cross border attack has happened on Pak-Afghan border.

Local militants have fled ongoing military offensives since 2008, taking refuge across the border from where they have launched attacks on Pakistani military checkpoints and civilians.