Rocket attack by Afghan terrorists in Khyber Agency martyrs 4 soldiers

At least four army personnel were martyred and as many injured when a rocket fired from the Afghanistan side landed on a check-post in Khyber Agency, the media wing of Pakistan military said.

“A strong protest was lodged with Afghanistan’s Ambassador Jannan Mosazai and he was told that Kabul must take urgent steps to stop such attacks from its territory”, Foreign Office sources said.

The cross-border attack by militants capped weeks of incriminatory statements from Kabul, blaming Pakistan for the recent uptick in violence in Afghanistan.

The Afghan envoy was asked to urge his government to investigate the incident and share the results of the inquiry with Pakistan.

“Pakistani troops befittingly responded and eliminated the group of terrorists“.

Pakistan fully condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and is willing to collaborate with Afghanistan to fight the common enemy. “However, the attacks against our military personnel are unacceptable”, it added.

The Afghan ambassador said he would convey the message to the concerned authorities and look into this.

The incident happened in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber tribal region that borders eastern Afghanistan.

Mosazai was also summoned last week by Pakistan’s Foreign Office following a clash between the Afghan and Pakistani forces along the Durand Line.

“A strong protest was also lodged on cross-border violations from the Afghan side on 16 and 17 August 2015, which resulted in death of three FC personnel and injuries to two others“, a FO statement said.

It said the abominable act of targeting innocent civilians reflects the cowardice of the terrorists.