Pakistan condemns terrorist attack on Afghan military base

Around 140 Afghan soldiers killed on Friday in attack on military base

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa condemned the terrorist attack on the military base.

The premier expressed deep grief and sorrow over the terrorist attack in Afghanistan.

In his message, he said that the government and people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the government of Afghanistan and Afghan brethren in the hour of grief.

“Terrorists have struck the Balkh province leading to the loss of the precious lives of Afghan soldiers and we [Pakistan] strongly condemn this barbaric act of terrorism. Our heart goes out to the victims of this terrorist attack.”



He expressed condolences with the bereaved families and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa also condemned the terrorist attack and expressed deep grief on loss of innocent lives and expressed solidarity with Afghan security forces and brotherly resilient Afghan nation.

“Terrorists are our common enemy and we shall defeat them,” he said in a statement released by the ISPR.

The Foreign Office issued a statement strongly condemning a terrorist attack carried out by the Taliban on a military base that killed as many as 140 Afghan soldiers, in the Balkh province of Afghanistan.

In its statement, the Foreign Office (FO) reiterated strong condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations, Radio Pakistan reported.

Pakistan is committed to working closely with the Afghan government and the international community in the fight against terrorism, the statement said.



The FO also extended heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Afghanistan, its people and the bereaved families on this occasion.

On Friday, Taliban attackers disguised in military uniforms killed 140 Afghan soldiers in what would be the deadliest attack ever on an Afghan military base, officials said.

The Afghan defence ministry said the toll of dead and/or injured was "over 100". Another official in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where the attack happened, confirmed on Saturday at least 140 soldiers were killed and many others wounded.

Other officials said the toll was likely to be even higher. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Afghan government was yet to release exact casualty figures.

The latest attack starkly highlighted the struggle of the Afghan government and its international backers in defeating a potent Taliban insurgency that has gripped Afghanistan for more than a decade.