Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Afghanistan-Pakistan border fighting erupts in Kunar

There is heavy fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan, Afghan officials say. Fighting started at around 0400 (0030 GMT) following an attack on a border police commander's convoy, according to border police sources. According to Afghan officials in Kunar, one border policeman was killed and five were injured. The Afghan authorities have since sent hundreds of troops to the area. The attack was from the Pakistani side of the border in the area of Binshay, Dangam District, Afghan police say. Afghan officials in Kunar province have told the BBC that both sides have been using heavy and small weapons and a Dangam District tribal elder said the fighting was ongoing. The border district of Dangam lies 40km (25 miles) east of the provincial capital. Afghan officials have in the past accused Pakistan's military of firing the rockets across the border - a claim Pakistan denies. The Governor of Kunar Province, Fazullah Waheedi, says that in the past three months there have been 3,160 cross border attacks in five districts, killing eight people and wounding 25. Earlier this month, the Afghan parliament dismissed the country's defence and interior ministers over alleged security failures, including the shelling of Afghan territory from Pakistan.

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