\u00a0North Waziristan(National Times)- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday dismissed a statement by Afghanistan\u2019s defence ministry regarding the firing at Angoor Adda border area, terming it a \u201cfabrication of lies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afghan security forces opened unprovoked fire on Pakistan Army border posts and residential areas in the border area on Tuesday. The unprovoked attacks, which violated border protocols, claimed the life of one local and injured five, while provoking a swift response from security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Subsequently, the Afghan defence ministry claimed that Pakistani military personnel \u201cwithout any provocation or justification\u201d launched drones targeting the Angoor Adda bazaar and the commissioner\u2019s office in Paktika province. It claimed that Afghan forces \u201claunched retaliatory strikes against a nearby Pakistani military base and outposts\u201d, alleging that Pakistan was the aggressor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, the ministry\u2019s fact-checking account on X said: \u201c[The] Afghan Taliban regime\u2019s latest fabrication of lies on Angoor Adda border incident again confirms their deceitful character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFact of the matter is that their cowardly forces initiated unprovoked fire and mortar shelling on unarmed civilians on [the] Pakistani side,\u201d the ministry said, adding that the actions were following the \u201cpattern and instructions of their proxy masters India\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan\u2019s security forces gave an immediate and effective response, the ministry said, adding that they inflicted heavy casualties as well as material losses on the Afghan side, including the destruction of seven posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuch lies of [the] Taliban regime\u2019s so-called official spokespersons carry no value and are part of a litany of fabricated stories that they keep on telling, mostly to their own people suffering under their imposed and non-representative regime,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the incident, asserting that Pakistan would \u201cnever tolerate\u201d attacks on its people or violations of its sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The governor added that KP had \u201csacrificed thousands of lives in the fight against terrorism, and we will not allow anyone to threaten our people or undermine our security\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny aggression against Pakistan will be confronted with unwavering resolve. Our armed forces have the full backing of the nation to defend every inch of our soil, and no threat or hostile act will weaken our determination to protect Pakistan,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to officials, the firing originated from posts located inside Afghan territory and targeted Pakistani border posts with small and heavy weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources said that Pakistani forces launched an immediate and effective retaliatory action, engaging multiple Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive bunkers with small and heavy arms, including artillery. The \u201cintense and accurate response\u201d forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon their posts and flee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The border at Angoor Adda is one of the most important and sensitive crossings along the Pak-Afghan border, serving as a key trade route and one of the main points of public movement between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Violations from the Afghan side have become a routine matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pak-Afghan tensions
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained in the past few years as Islamabad continues to voice its concern over cross-border terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
September witnessed another bout of conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sept 21, in response to recent major terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan conducted \u201ccalibrated\u201d airstrikes in the border region with Afghanistan against terrorist hideouts, with the government saying more than 28 terrorists were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the action as part of Operation Ghazab lil Haq, which was launched on the night of Feb 26 in response to unprovoked cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Days later, Pakistan shot down eight drones launched from across the border that had entered Pakistani airspace near the Torkham border and Kohat. It was also reported that the Afghan Taliban engaged in unprovoked firing the night before near Kurram as security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to cross into Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In retaliation for the drone incursion, Pakistan conducted \u201cprecision aerial and drone strikes\u201d in 10 locations across Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A demarche was also delivered to the Afghan side on Sept 26 on account of the Sept 23 airspace violation by drones, the Foreign Office said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Oct 1, Pakistan again carried out \u201cwell-planned and calibrated\u201d airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, the information ministry said, adding that the strikes resulted in the deaths of \u201cmultiple terrorists\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around mid-October, the state media reported that security forces had again responded to unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in KP\u2019s Upper Kurram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It quoted security sources as saying that several personnel of the Afghan Taliban were \u201creportedly killed during the Pakistan Army\u2019s retaliatory action along the Ghuzgarhi border\u201d. The sources further said that in the Upper Kurram sector, the army targeted the Afghan Taliban\u2019s Topsar post and Shipola base camp with artillery fire, reportedly completely destroying the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The border skirmishes came a day after the Foreign Office said that talks with Afghanistan could not be unconditional, but also rejected suggestions that Islamabad was unwilling to engage with its neighbour and said it would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to help resolve the dispute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0North Waziristan(National Times)- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday dismissed a statement by Afghanistan\u2019s defence ministry regarding the firing at Angoor Adda border area, terming it a \u201cfabrication of lies\u201d. Afghan security forces opened unprovoked fire on Pakistan Army border posts and residential areas in the border area on Tuesday. The unprovoked attacks, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n