Rocket fire from Afghanistan leaves 3 dead in NW Pakistan

At least three people have been killed when a rocket fired from Afghanistan hit an area in a volatile Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border.

According to officials, the rocket struck a shop in Angoor Adda Bazaar in the South Waziristan tribal district on Thursday.

The area is one of the seven semi-autonomous regions where the Pakistani army has been fighting pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants for the past several years.

“One of the two rockets fired from Afghanistan’s Birmal town hit a bread shop, killing three Afghan nationals who were residents of South Waziristan,” said a senior military official, adding that it is not clear who was behind the attack.

Clashes between Pakistani and Afghan troops over construction by Islamabad near the border had led to the closure of the bazaar for six months, and it re-opened earlier this month.

The second rocket hit a secluded place, according to reports.

Pakistani army has intensified its operation against militant hideouts in the violence-wracked regions bordering Afghanistan since June 2014, when a deadly raid on the Karachi International Airport ended the government’s faltering peace talks with the pro-Taliban militants.

Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001, when Pakistan entered an alliance with the US in the so-called war on terror. Thousands more have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.

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