Afghan militant killed in Bajaur Agency clash

Four militants from Afghanistan cross into Pakistan and open fire on tribal militia.

One militant was killed in a clash between the tribal militia and the Afghan militants in Bajaur Agency on Tuesday.

According to sources, four Afghan militants entered Pakistan by crossing the border and attacked the tribal militia (lashkar) in Mandal area of Salarzai tehsil.

The militants opened fire and hurled grenades on the peace lashkar who retaliated by firing back, resulting in the death of one militant, while the others managed to escape back into Afghanistan.

The militant killed has been identified as Noorullah Nooristani, an Afghan national, while the search for his three accomplices is still in progress.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have begun a fresh round of strategic talks between top diplomatic officials to discuss the several cross border attacks that took place between the countries in the recent past.

Earlier, while the Pakistan military claimed that the eastern Afghan provinces Kunar and Nuristan are the sanctuaries for terrorist organizations, the Afghan government recently blamed Pakistan for carrying out most of the attacks. Afghan foreign ministry claimed that over 300 rockets were fired into the two provinces by Pakistani security forces.

According to the military, Pakistan has 147,000 troops deployed at 900 posts along the Afghan border to restrict the movement of terrorists across the border.