Cross-border incursion: Salala post attacked – this time by militants

Three FC person­nel also injure­d, as milita­nts attack check post late on Monday night.


Our Correspondent June 06, 2012

PESHAWAR/ GHALANAI:


Over six months after it was struck by US warplanes, the Salala border post came under attack again on Monday – this time from Taliban insurgents.


Hordes of militants, armed with heavy weapons, attacked the Salala post, in the Baizai sub-division of Mohmand Agency, late Monday night, security officials told The Express Tribune.

Officials put the number of attackers in the hundreds and said they had crossed over from neighbouring militant-infested provinces of Afghanistan.

One paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was killed and three others were wounded in the attack, said a Peshawar-based security official. In the retaliatory action from paramilitary troops, several attackers were also killed, he added. “I cannot give you the exact figure – but several militants were killed.”

Other official sources put the number of dead militants at 20 – a claim which could not be independently verified.

The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack and gave an exaggerated death toll.

TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan told journalists in a telephone call from an undisclosed location that the security forces suffered “several casualties” in the attack.

He claimed that only one of their colleagues was killed and another injured in the attack.

Mohmand Agency’s political agent and military officials visited the Salala post, situated high in the mountains along the border with Afghanistan.

They praised the paramilitary troops for defending the post against the Taliban insurgents.

It is the same post which was struck in a Nato air raid in November last year. Over two dozen Pakistani border guards were killed in the air strike that plunged Pakistan-US relations to their lowest ebb.

As a punishment, Islamabad had closed the Nato supply routes which remain blocked since.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2012.

COMMENTS (7)

Mansoor | 11 years ago | Reply

Why militants are coming from Afghan side? We constantly get chided for not doing more against Taliban, then why is everyone quite over this? From this incident it is seem militancy is a two way street.US or Afghanistan doesnt have lot of moral standing when they criticise us.

BruteForce | 11 years ago | Reply

Musharaff had done deals with the same bunch; Imran Khan want to extend his support and withdraw troops from the area, yet Pakistan will say TTP is supported by Americans or the Indians. How interesting.

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