PESHAWAR: At least two security personnel were killed in cross-border fire from Afghanistan on Friday, the military said, when gunmen attacked a checkpoint near the frontier in the troubled northwest.
The attack in Khyber tribal district was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the umbrella Pakistani Taliban, and came at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Terrorists from across the Pak-Bdr attempted physical attack on Pak FC (Frontier Constabulary) Post in Khyber Agency,” said a military statement, adding that six militants were also killed in the exchange of fire.
According to security officials, the Speena Sooka check post manned by FC personnel in Tor Mor, Lwee Shalman area of Khyber Agency was attacked from the Afghan side.
A faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack, further stating 110 of their fighters took part in the attack.
Earlier Friday, Pakistani troops also fought two suicide bombers trying to enter an FC training centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Suhail Khalid, police chief in Charsadda district, told AFP that the suicide bombers first opened fire at the main gate and then tried to enter the training camp.
“One bomber blew himself up, while second was shot dead,” Khalid said. One FC soldier was killed and a second injured, according to a military statement.
Charsadda was among the places targeted in last month’s attacks, with three people killed and 19 injured when multiple suicide bombers attempted to enter a court complex on February 21.
Security forces have been on high alert since February’s attacks, which also included a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine that killed 90 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group.
The military announced the launch of a nationwide anti-terrorist operation, and Islamabad has closed the two main gates along its porous border with Afghanistan, Torkham at the Khyber Pass and Chaman in Balochistan province.
Earlier this month, five soldiers of the Pakistan Army had lost their lives in a cross-border terrorist attack on three Pakistani border posts along the Pak-Afghan border area. The Pakistan Army reportedly killed over 15 suspected terrorists in their retaliatory action following the incident.
Separately, Rangers claimed to have gunned down five alleged terrorists while rounding up seven suspected persons during search operations in different areas of Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday. The Rangers also seized a huge cache of weapons and explosives.
The suspected persons have been shifted to undisclosed location for further investigation.
