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Pakistani troops destroy 5 Afghan border posts, kill 50 soldiers: Army

Members of the Pakistani border security force prepare to deploy to the Afghan border at a camp on Chaman border, May 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The Pakistani army says it has destroyed up to five Afghan border checkpoints and killed 50 security personnel in retaliation to a recent alleged Afghan cross-border attack on Pakistan, which left several people dead.

Pakistan's Balochistan Frontier Corps Inspector Major General Nadeem Ahmed announced the news on Sunday, adding that more than 100 members of Afghan security forces had also been wounded in the cross-border operation.

"We are not pleased to announce this but the Afghan commanders are responsible for this," he told reporters in reference to Chaman border's deadly incident.

On Friday, Pakistani officials claimed that Afghan troops had launched a cross-border attack on a group of Pakistani government employees, who were carrying out census operations in the villages of Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir on the Pakistani side of the border. The troops, who were escorting the employees, also came under attack, Islamabad claimed.

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At the time, Pakistan announced that nine Pakistani civilians had been killed and over 40 others, including women and children, had been injured.

"We had informed them about our census activity," General Ahmed said.

Lieutenant General Amir Riaz, the commander of Pakistan's Southern Command, said Islamabad had no other choice but to destroy the checkpoints after Afghan forces, based on a "foolish mistake", attempted to enter Pakistan.

"Anyone who tries to make Pakistan's territory disputed will face similar consequences," he said while speaking to reporters in the town of Chaman, adding that the border would remain closed until Afghanistan "changes behavior."

Afghan Border Police personnel keep watch during an ongoing battle between Pakistani and Afghan border forces near Durand line at Spin Boldak in the southern province of Kandahar, May 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Pakistani Major General Nadeem Anjum said following Islamabad's retaliation, Afghanistan pleaded for ceasefire on Friday, which Pakistan accepted.

Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly accuse each other of sheltering their enemy insurgents. Both sides, however, deny such an allegation.

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Pakistani authorities say terrorists infiltrate from Afghanistan into Pakistan through the border crossings. The border had been closed since mid-February due to an increase in terrorist operations in Pakistan.

The Wesh-Chaman border crossing is a major border crossing between the two countries. It leads north from the town of Chaman, in Balochistan, into Wesh in Spin Boldak, in Kandahar province.


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