ISLAMABAD (Dispatches) – Pakistan said on Sunday said incidents of its security forces being targeted in cross-border attacks from Afghanistan had risen significantly, and called on Taliban authorities to act against militants, a day after purported air strikes by Pakistan.
The incident has increased already simmering tensions between the neighbors.
“In the last few days, incidents along Pak-Afghan border have significantly increased, wherein, Pakistani security forces are being targeted from across the border,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement on Sunday.
It added the attacks were being carried out “with impunity” and that Islamabad had repeatedly asked Afghan authorities to act to stop them, but to no avail.
It said seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in the border area of North Waziristan on Thursday. North Waziristan borders the eastern Afghan province of Khost, where the strikes are said to have taken place on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have slammed neighboring Pakistan for allegedly ordering deadly rocket attacks in Afghan districts along the border.
In a tweet on Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called “on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues and not repeat the same mistake again otherwise it will have bad consequences.”
Also on Saturday, Taliban officials summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul in protest to the deadly rocket attacks.
“Military violations including those in Khost and Kunar must be prevented as such acts deteriorate relations,” said a statement released by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement, however, did not elaborate on the nature of the attacks.
A local Taliban leader in Khost, Mawlawi Mohammad Raes Helal, said Khost and Kunar were bombed by Pakistani helicopters.
He claimed 36 people had been killed in the Pakistani attacks.
Pakistan has not confirmed whether it carried out the attacks in Afghanistan.