ghazi52
PDF THINK TANK: ANALYST
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2007
- Messages
- 103,030
- Reaction score
- 106
- Country
- Location
Pakistan's military has stepped up operations along the Afghan border in recent weeks after a spate of militant attacks that has dashed any hope the frontier might see more peace and stability after the end of the war in Afghanistan.
Terrorists have martyred at least 14 soldiers in attacks over the past month, three of them carried out by fighters entering from Afghanistan, according to the military.
Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, struggling with a humanitarian crisis, have denied that Afghan territory was used in any of the attacks.
But despite such assurances, disputes linked to the border, which has been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades, could undermine their relations.
The military said six insurgents were killed in the latest clash in Balochistan on Wednesday.
"Operations to eliminate such perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan will continue," the military said in a statement.
A top security official with direct knowledge of border operations told Reuters: "We have stepped up intelligence-based operations to ensure that we deny entry to militants."
Large areas on the Pakistani side of the border were out of the control of the government for decades, ruled by fiercely independent Pashtun tribes, whose communities often straddle both sides of the unmarked border.
But Pakistan is determined to end all that, aiming to bring the rugged Pashtun lands under central rule and to demarcate the border with a fence, and control who comes and goes with a tight border-control system, another Pakistani official said.
"We're targeting anyone who is a threat," said the second official, who also declined to be identified.
'Friends'
Pakistan has enjoyed good relations with the Afghan Taliban for years even though Pakistan was officially an ally of the United States during its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.
But as Pakistan grapples with violence, its appeals to the Taliban to control their side of the border have not brought the action it hopes to see.
Increasingly frustrated, officials have been pressing the Taliban to deny space and resources to the militants, an appeal repeated by National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf when he visited Kabul last month.
Terrorists have martyred at least 14 soldiers in attacks over the past month, three of them carried out by fighters entering from Afghanistan, according to the military.
Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, struggling with a humanitarian crisis, have denied that Afghan territory was used in any of the attacks.
But despite such assurances, disputes linked to the border, which has been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades, could undermine their relations.
The military said six insurgents were killed in the latest clash in Balochistan on Wednesday.
"Operations to eliminate such perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan will continue," the military said in a statement.
A top security official with direct knowledge of border operations told Reuters: "We have stepped up intelligence-based operations to ensure that we deny entry to militants."
Large areas on the Pakistani side of the border were out of the control of the government for decades, ruled by fiercely independent Pashtun tribes, whose communities often straddle both sides of the unmarked border.
But Pakistan is determined to end all that, aiming to bring the rugged Pashtun lands under central rule and to demarcate the border with a fence, and control who comes and goes with a tight border-control system, another Pakistani official said.
"We're targeting anyone who is a threat," said the second official, who also declined to be identified.
'Friends'
Pakistan has enjoyed good relations with the Afghan Taliban for years even though Pakistan was officially an ally of the United States during its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.
But as Pakistan grapples with violence, its appeals to the Taliban to control their side of the border have not brought the action it hopes to see.
Increasingly frustrated, officials have been pressing the Taliban to deny space and resources to the militants, an appeal repeated by National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf when he visited Kabul last month.
