Over 100 Pakistan army officers, soldiers lost lives in cross border terrorists attacks from Afghanistan during last 3 months

By Mashal Khan 

ISLAMABAD (TSAT) - Over 100 Pakistan army officers and soldiers have embraced shahadat in cross-border terrorist attacks organised from Afghanistan during the last three months.

According to Pakistan army, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of Pakistani terrorist and other militants groups have carried out dozen of terrorist attacks against its forces in areas near Afghan border in recent months.

On Thursday, at least seven Pakistan soldiers lost their lives in TTP terrorist attack in Waziristan along Afghan border.

On Sunday, Pakistan Foreign Ministry said that terrorist incidents along Pak-Afghan Border have significantly increased in the last few days wherein Pakistani security forces are being targeted from across the border.

“Pakistan has repeatedly requested Afghan Government in last few months to secure Pak-Afghan border region. Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan,” said the ministry in a statement.

The statement came a day after, Afghan Taliban alleged that Pakistan Air Force carried out an airstrike in Khost and Kunar Province inside their country on Saturday, allegedly targeting Pakistani refugees camps.

Afghan Taliban didn’t share details about the alleged airstrikes but locals said that dozens of TTP terrorists were killed in the attacks.

“I don’t know who dropped the bombs in our villages but they targeted Pakistani Taliban houses who are living here for the last several years,” said Muhibullah, a local resident of Khost.

Muhib added that dozen of TTP militants were killed in the bombing but several women and children were also killed in the bombing as most TTP militants live here along with families.

However, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry didn’t confirm in its statement any airstrikes carried out by its forces inside Afghanistan.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged for past several months through institutional channels for effective coordination and security along our long shared border. Unfortunately, elements of banned terrorist groups in the border region, including TTP, have continued to attack Pakistan's border security posts, resulting into martyrdom of several Pakistani troops,” said the ministry.

On April 14, at least 7 Pakistan army soldiers were martyred in North Waziristan by terrorists operating from Afghanistan, it’s said.

“Pakistan, once again, strongly condemns terrorists operating with impunity from Afghan soil to carry out activities in Pakistan. This is detrimental to our efforts of maintaining peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan Border,” said the ministry.

Islamabad also requested the Afghan government to secure the Pak-Afghan border region and take stern actions against the individuals involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, in the interest of peace and progress of the two brotherly countries.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry said that they respect Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and Islamabad will continue to work closely with the Afghan Government to strengthen bilateral relations in all fields.

Despite the Afghan Taliban's commitment to the international community to not allow any terrorist group to use its soil against any country, TTP still continues to operate from Afghanistan with impunity.

In recent months, Afghan Taliban fighters disrupted fencing at several points at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and paved way for TTP to easily cross the border and carry out attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces, according to officials.

Despite Pakistan's repeated requests, the new Taliban government so far didn’t take any action to stop TTP terrorists from using Afghan soil against Pakistan, a senior Pakistani official told the TSAT.

In 2014, when the Pakistan army launched a full-scale military operation against the TTP terrorist group in erstwhile Tribal areas, hundreds of them were killed while others fled away to Afghanistan along with their families.

Now, those TTP terrorists have established their hideouts and training camps in Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces along Pakistan border and are using it as base camps for launching terrorists attacks against Pakistan forces, according to officials.