Afghanistan Times
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AT News Report-KABUL: At least three Pakistani security personnel were killed, several wounded and four others captured alive following a deadly skirmish with Afghan forces on Sunday morning alongside in the outskirts of Khost province along the Durand Line, provincial security sources said. The clashes have had the Pakistani forces retreat.
The skirmish erupted after Pakistani security forces crossed the zero point along the Durand Line and stormed three Afghan check-posts in Zazai Maidan district of Khost province, said Khost police chief, Abdul Hanan Zadran.
He added the clashes left an Afghan border policeman and a civilian dead and two more injured. According to him, clashes were undergoing in Nazoghar, Jandoghar and Khawono Ghondai areas along the Durand Line.
The situation across Afghanistan’s tumultuous east remains tense as Pakistani military sporadically fires off missiles. This comes after Pakistan had fired a barrage of missiles into Kunar province earlier this week. Gubernatorial spokesperson of Kunar province, Ghani Samim, has said that at least 1,500 missiles had been fired on that province in a week. Albeit, Pakistan has claimed that the military shelling only targets terrorist groups; on the contrary, missiles directly hit residential houses and the surrounding forests.
In Zazimaidan district of southern Paktia province too, local people pushed back Pakistani forces on Sunday morning after they attempted to erect a military outpost at zero point of the de facto Durand Line. “Locals resisted Pakistani army which attempted to breach the Durand Line, said spokesperson to the defense ministry Mohammad Radmanish. After a few minutes of locals’ resistance, Pakistani army fled the area. Shortly after, border police took control.
However, this is not the first time Pakistani army breaches the Durand Line into Afghanistan. Afghan and Pakistani forces engaged in a clash along the rigorous line last year. This comes as the president complained to Pakistani Prime Minister about the unprovoked artillery shelling from the other side of Durand Line on Afghan soil.
