Deadly clash on Afghan border leaves 2 Pakistani troops, 8 militants dead

Pakistan Forward

RAWALPINDI -- Pakistani troops Monday (November 13) killed at least eight militants in a skirmish along the border with Afghanistan, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Terrorists from Afghanistan attempted to attack Pakistani posts along the border in Bajaur Agency, according to an ISPR statement.

Two soldiers were killed and four were injured in the gun battle, the statement said.

The statement did not specify when the incident happened but a security official told AFP it took place on Monday.

Separately, on November 9, a Pakistani soldier was killed during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Agency, Geo News reported.

Terrorists opened fire at multiple Pakistani border posts in Rajgal Valley, "exploiting the absence of any control in Afghan border areas", the report said.

Building a fence

In recent decades, members of the Afghan Taliban, al-Qaeda and other militant groups have operated with near impunity in the region, crossing the colonial-era frontier at will.

Pakistan began building a fence along much of its border in March.

The roughly 10-foot-tall chain-link fence, shrouded in barbed wire, has begun stretching through parts of the rugged tribal districts of North and South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Only 43km of the border have been separated by the fence, but the entire length will be covered by the end of next year, a top Pakistani officer in South Waziristan told journalists October 18 at Hamza Fort, Angoor Adda.

"By the time we are done, God willing, we'll be very sure of one thing -- that nobody can cross this place," he said, requesting his name remain anonymous.

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