Hundreds of Afghan Taliban attack Pak border village

Islamabad, Jul 6: Hundreds of Afghan Taliban sneaked into a Pakistani border village today (Jul 6) and burnt a school before clashing with security forces and a local tribal militia, official said.

The Taliban from Afghanistan's Kunar province attacked Khara village in Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province early this morning, officials told TV news channels.

The militants torched a school and clashes with troops and a "lashkar" or tribal militia though there were no reports of casualties. Geo News channel reported that about 800 militants were involved in the attack though this could not be independently confirmed.

Explosions were heard in the area and clashes between the militants and security forces were continuing, officials said. The attack is likely to add to growing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Upper Dir region was attacked by Afghan militants on June 1.

Islamabad says armed militants from Afghanistan have entered Pakistani areas and launched half a dozen attacks in the span of a month on border checkpoints and villages. Nearly 40 soldiers were killed and 80 others injured in these attacks, Pakistani officials have said.

Officials of the two countries have also traded angry charges about shelling in each other''s territory over the past few days, triggering a diplomatic row. The governments of both countries summoned ambassadors to the foreign ministries to lodge formal protests.

Afghan authorities say Pakistani forces have fired hundreds of rockets and artillery shells into the eastern Kunar and Nangrahar provinces, killing dozens of people, including women and children.

Pakistan has denied the charge and said a few shells fired at fleeing Afghan militants could have landed across the border.

PTI