World News | More Than a Dozen Injured in Pakistan's Balochistan Province as Afghan Border Forces Open Fire
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. At least 15 people were injured on Thursday when Afghan border troops resorted to "indiscriminate firing" across the border into Balochistan province, Pakistani defence sources said, the second such firing in less than a week.
Islamabad, Dec 15 (PTI) At least 15 people were injured on Thursday when Afghan border troops resorted to "indiscriminate firing" across the border into Balochistan province, Pakistani defence sources said, the second such firing in less than a week.
According to the sources, the firing took place in Balochistan province's Chaman area, and "children and women" were also injured.
Dr Abdul Malik of District Headquarters Hospital Chaman told Pakistani media that at least 15 injured civilians were brought to the facility.
It was the second cross-border attack by the Afghan troops. They had resorted to a similar act on December 10, which killed seven civilians and injured another 16.
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Pakistan had condemned the incident at the highest level, but the Afghan authorities expressed regret, following which Islamabad decided not to pursue it any further.
The latest firing, however, shows the mistrust between the two sides.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan's Kandahar. It was closed last month after an armed Afghan crossed onto Pakistan's side of the border and opened fire on security troops, killing a soldier and injuring another two.
Last week's standoff at the border came barely 24 hours after authorities in Pakistan said that its counterterrorism forces had intercepted four Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) militants close to the Afghan border and killed them.
Last month, eight people, including two children and three paramilitary soldiers, were injured in the Kurram district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province when some Afghans from across the border opened fire at them over a dispute.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,600-km volatile border.
Islamabad has completed almost 90 per cent of fencing work along the border despite protests from Kabul, who contested the century-old British-era boundary demarcation that splits families on either side.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)