Afghan envoy refutes Pakistan’s claim of killing 50 soldiers

Dr Omar Zakhilwal says only two soldiers were killed and seven others injured

Afghanistan contested Pakistan’s claim that its security forces, while retaliating to last Friday’s cross-border attack near the Chaman border, killed 50 Afghan soldiers and injured 100 others.

“Woke up to celebratory front page headlines today on all Pak papers saying Pakistan killed 50 Afghan soldiers and injured 100 in Chaman clash,” said Afghan Ambassador Dr Omar Zakhiwal in a series of tweets.

1/4: Woke up to celebratory front page headlines today on all Pak papers saying Pak killed 50 Afg soldiers & injured 100 in Chaman clash.

— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) May 8, 2017

2/4: Was based on info provided by Pak army and FC south command. Truth is only 2 Afg soldiers got Shaheed and about 7 injured.

— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) May 8, 2017

3/4: However, even two lives are too many if our claim for seeking good neighbourly relations is genuine & if we mean well for each other.

— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) May 8, 2017

He was reacting to statement on Sunday by Frontier Corps’ (FC) Balochistan Inspector General Major General Nadeem Anjum who said Pakistani security forces destroyed five Afghan check posts in retaliation to Afghanistan’s attack on the Pakistani security officials accompanying census teams.

The daylong bloody clashes left scores dead on both sides on Friday. But two days later, the IGFC said that 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in the spat.

However, the Afghan ambassador rejected the claim insisting that only two Afghan soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire between the border guards of the two countries.

“Truth is only two Afghan soldiers got Shaheed and seven injured,” read another tweet of the Afghan envoy. “However, even two lives are too many if our claim for seeking good neighbourly relations is genuine and if we mean well for each other,” he added.



Zakhiwal denounced Pakistan for what he called ‘celebrating’ the deaths of Afghan soldiers. “Chaman clash left casualties, deaths and injured on Pak side too but we instead of celebrating called it unfortunate and regrettable,” he said.

During the Sunday’s press conference, the IGFC emphasised that Pakistan was not happy with the causalities on the Afghan side as “they are our Muslim brothers”. The Friday’s clashes were the worst between the two estranged neighbours and undermined recent efforts seeking rapprochement.

Cross-border attacks are common along the 2,400km-long porous border but such attacks are mostly carried out by militants living on both sides of the frontier. Barring a few incidents, the security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan have rarely engaged in bloody clashes.

But the latest incident suggested a new low in the troubled ties between the two countries.