Militants make off with goats, shepherds in cross-border raid

Militants injured one shepherd, kidnapping several others. As many as 600 goats stolen.

CHITRAL: A shepherd was injured while several others were kidnapped when a dozen of militants crossed into Kalash Valley of Chitral district on Monday.

An official of the Chitral Scouts said that late in the afternoon more than 10 militants from the Nuristan province of Afghanistan crossed into the border, entered the Garmai pasture in Bamboret area of Kalash Valley and attacked shepherds.

The official said that one of the shepherds identified as Paan, a resident of Kalash Valley, was shot and injured when he refused to hand over his herds of goats to the militants adding that the militants took away 600 goats with them.

“Several shepherds have been kidnapped by militants however their number and names couldn’t be confirmed at the moment,” the official said, before adding that Chitral Scouts along with police rushed to the pasture after the attack and started a search operation to hunt down the militants. The attackers though made good their escape.

On July 18, dozens of militants from Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan attacked the Langurbat check-post in southern Chitral in which according to the Pakistani security officials, six militants were killed in retaliation.

According to Pakistani security officials, militants from the banned outfits, who have found a safe heaven in Afghanistan, have sporadically carried out attacks on the security forces in Pakistan.

Pakistani government official have repeatedly told the afghan government to stop the cross border attacks and take an action against the militant factions who are constantly targeting security forces and civilian but the afghan government has denied it and instead blame Pakistan for violating their border.

However, both the countries claim that they would work on these issues and would put pressure on the enemy that operates along the border.