ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan says it has launched a new military operation near the Afghan border to combat militants.
Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, an army spokesman, says an infantry division backed by air force and artillery will clear the Rajgal Valley in the Khyber tribal region.
He says Pakistan has informed Afghan authorities and urged them to take similar measures on their side of the border.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have long accused each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along their porous border.
Pakistan's construction of a fence along part of the frontier has also caused tensions, as Afghanistan does not recognize the colonial-era line as an international border.
 Pakistan’s restive northwestern tribal region along the border with Afghanistan is regarded by authorities as an area prone to cross-border infiltration.
Pakistan says its recent move to fence the crossings is aimed at curtailing the movement of militants and stopping them from entering the country.
Both countries have long pledged to improve security in the region and go after militant groups based in the rugged and mountainous border areas. But the exact location of the border has long been disputed by Kabul.
The Pakistani military has dismissed Afghanistan's criticism of the fencing plan, saying the activity is being performed well inside the Pakistani territory.
Last year, Pakistan started building a barrier at the main border crossing in the northwestern town of Torkham. The move irked the government in Kabul.