The Associated Press
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A daylong clash between militants from Afghanistan who crossed the border and attacked a Pakistani checkpoint left 23 troops and 35 insurgents dead, police said Thursday, underscoring the challenges facing Pakistan as it tries to stamp out insurgents in its northwest.
The fighting came as a top Pakistani general said the military plans to stage an operation against militants in a tribal region that juts deep inside Afghanistan, but denied media reports of an upcoming offensive in North Waziristan, the tribal area where the U.S. has been pushing for action.
Pakistan’s northwest border with Afghanistan has for years been a stomping ground for Islamist extremists, some of whom focus on attacks against Western forces across the border, and others who prefer to attack the Pakistani state because of its ties to the United States.
Pakistan has taken action against the latter groups but they’ve retained the ability to strike back, partly because the border is so porous and insurgents under attack can easily cross from side to side.
The clash that began Wednesday and wound down Thursday occurred in Shaltalo town in Upper Dir district. Upper Dir lies just outside the tribal belt, but it too has witnessed al-Qaida and Taliban militant activity and been the focus of military offensives.
Police said some 200 militants crossed over into Pakistan from Afghanistan, and went after a checkpoint manned by police and paramilitary troops. At least 23 Pakistani security troops died and three were wounded, while 35 militants were killed, police official Johar Khan said.
The situation was under control as of noon Thursday, and funerals were being arranged for the dead security forces, he said.
On Wednesday, army Lt. Gen. Asif Yasin Malik, who oversees military operations in the tribal areas and other parts of the northwest, said the Kurram tribal area would be the next target of an offensive after local leaders there requested it.
Malik said operations would be launched there with the government’s backing, but declined to give any more operational details.
Kurram has seen sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims for years, but is also home to militants with other aims. According to some accounts, the Haqqani network, a faction of the Afghan Taliban, was shifting fighters there from North Waziristan tribal region.
The Haqqani network is considered one of the biggest threats to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, partly because its fighters can retreat across the border to North Waziristan, where they have bases and have been left alone by the Pakistani army.
The U.S. has pushed the Pakistani military go after the Haqqanis and other factions in North Waziristan. The pressure has increased since the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a garrison city in Pakistan’s northwest and deeply embarrassed the army.
But officials here have resisted, saying their troops are stretched on other fronts, and that their priority is eliminating insurgents who attack Pakistan, which the Haqqanis have not done.
Malik said Wednesday that that position has not changed, and dismissed recent “media hype” about an imminent offensive in North Waziristan.
“There is no change in North Waziristan in past months and weeks,” Malik said. “We will undertake an operation when we want to, when it’s in the national interest.”
They could be members of ttp as the border is porous when Pakistan carries out operations the taleban just cross the border into Afghanistan and return later. The government and military should have protested strongly with afghans and NATO as to why they allowed them to cross border as they keep on harping of taleban crossing over from Pakistan but no guts in the leaders.
...The government and military should have protested strongly with afghans and NATO as to why they allowed them to cross border as they keep on harping of taleban crossing over from Pakistan but no guts in the leaders.
We never complain. And perhaps that's the only country in the world which does not complain on such issues happening on daily basis. We only listen to compalins against our own selves. We are simply pathetic.
We should completely "seal" the border till the smoke is cleared on both sides of the border i.e. no conflict, no war etc, no "entry" and no "exit", only government recognized vehicles be allowed, everyone else should be smoked.
Its not easy to completely seal the border, the borer is very porous and the terrain is very difficult to man, the only way is to fence the border which Afghanistan doesnt want to happen
Plaster that damn boarder with landmines . Like so many countries have done in the past and still do it. Just keep some stretches clear to establish checkpoints. Since Karzai is always complaining about Pakistan not doing enough , this will show him that we are serious but it will close all kinds of supply lines to Afghanistan and he will stop complaining when his country will become completely landlocked.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You want safe passage then you complain about porous boarders. Idiot Karzai.
but but if we close border shut then how nato amereeka travel then? to afghanistan my american lovers...hmm
NATO/US don't travel by road, they got choppers and jets to go back and forth (I don't think they do travel as much though), its only their "supplies" which go from Pakistan, those trucks can be securely checked and then gates open for them.
i have a question as usual.
this attack lasted for over a day right?
how come we didnt see tanks rolling in and jets flying over to give air cover and killing attackers by 100s.
i mean this is most direct attack possible from a hostile group which doesnt even demands any permission from higher ups so how come 200 men just walked in , killed a bunch and went back without punishment?
i have a question as usual.
this attack lasted for over a day right?
how come we didnt see tanks rolling in and jets flying over to give air cover and killing attackers by 100s.
i mean this is most direct attack possible from a hostile group which doesnt even demands any permission from higher ups so how come 200 men just walked in , killed a bunch and went back without punishment?
They could be members of ttp as the border is porous when Pakistan carries out operations the taleban just cross the border into Afghanistan and return later. The government and military should have protested strongly with afghans and NATO as to why they allowed them to cross border as they keep on harping of taleban crossing over from Pakistan but no guts in the leaders.
how much more bloodshed we need to come out of Utopian world of good or bad taliban? Kutta is a kutta no mattter what you call it.
how much more bloodshed we need to come out of Utopian world of good or bad taliban? Kutta is a kutta no mattter what you call it.
They can be xyz taleban I dont care, the thing is that they crossed over from Afghanistan what did isaf and afghan forces do to prevent that from happening. The Americans are quick in giving lectures to others but no word when due to their incompetence pakistan has to pay. Pakistan has to lose 35 soldiers in one attack and thats not a small figure.