Pakistan lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan on Thursday on a cross-border terrorist attack inside its territory by around 400 militants that killed at least 30 people, including 27 security forces personnel, in the border region of Upper Dir
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir conveyed to the ambassador of Afghanistan strong concerns on the cross-border attack launched from the territory of Afghanistan in which militants also burnt schools and plundered houses.
The Foreign Secretary stressed the need for stern action by the Afghan army, US, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces in the area against militants and their hideouts in Afghanistan, and against organizational support for the militants. Pakistan’s concerns were also being brought to the attention of the US and the NATO, said a statement issued here by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The militant attack in the border region of Upper Dir late on Wednesday night also left some 45 militants dead, officials said, though exact details of the militants’ losses were not available because few journalists are allowed into the area. The militants also blew up a bridge and two schools in the area and managed to escape with a large quantity of weapons taken from the security forces.
Reports from Upper Dir said security forces had moved into the Shal Talu village after the militants fled and seized the dead bodies of their personnel. The dead were moved to Barawal, where hundreds of people, including Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Police Inspector General Fayaz Khan Toru, attended their funeral.
The dead included 15 policemen and 12 Levies forces personnel belonging to various villages of Lower Dir and Upper Dir. Upper Dir District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ghulam Mohammad said three civilians, including a woman, were also killed in the attack.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Mohammad claimed that “over 1,000 militants” had crossed the border and entered the area and attacked a checkpost. He said upon hearing of the attack, heavy contingents of army, police, Frontier Constabulary and Frontier Corps were dispatched to the area. Helicopter gunships also assisted ground forces in the retaliatory action.
In response to a question, Mohammad said the militants had sustained significant human losses but in such attacks, the militants always took care to take the bodies of their downed men along with them. The situation, he said, was now under control but the militants had succeeded in fleeing toward Afghanistan. So far, no one had claimed responsibility for the attack, he said. Officials claimed that all militants were wearing armed forces’ uniform.
Regional police chief Qazi Jamil-ur-Rehman told AFP mortar rounds had struck 15 houses and that 21 security forces personnel and 11 civilians were wounded.
