Pakistani Army Claims Cross-Border Firing From Afghanistan Killed Soldier

The Pakistani military said one of its soldiers was killed and two others wounded by cross-border shelling from Afghanistan.

In a statement on August 6, the Pakistani military said members of its Frontier Corps came under heavy mortar shelling and firing from Afghanistan a day earlier.

The military said the incident occurred in the Lower Dir district of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Afghan officials have yet to comment on Pakistan’s claim.

It comes after cross-border shelling by Pakistan killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistan on July 31, prompting Kabul to put its ground and air forces on alert.

The shelling came after clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the closed Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing.

The two countries share a 2,500-kilometer border known as the Durand Line, which Pakistan considers to be an international border. Afghanistan rejects the colonial-era border that was created in 1893.

In 2017, Pakistan started building a fence along the border to improve security, a move that sparked condemnations in Kabul.

Pakistani forces have continued to build border fortifications, sparking numerous clashes along the border.