Army hits Afghan Taliban posts after Angoor Adda firing, security sources claim

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Security sources say the Pakistan Army on Friday destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and military installations in areas near South Waziristan and Parachinar.

The sources said the action was taken in response to alleged unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban personnel in Angoor Adda. They said Afghan personnel abandoned their posts and fled after the action, and that several of them were killed. Radio Pakistan also broadcast the same claim, citing security sources. According to BBC Urdu, the Afghan Taliban have not yet responded to the claim.

Earlier, on Wednesday, security forces had claimed to have destroyed several Afghan Taliban check posts after an attack on civilians in Angoor Adda. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Lower South Waziristan, Afghan forces fired on Angoor Adda bazaar and nearby residential areas. One civilian was killed by a mortar shell, while five members of one family were injured.

The fact-check account of Pakistan’s Ministry of Information claimed that seven Taliban positions were destroyed in the retaliatory action.

On the other hand, the Afghan Ministry of Defence alleged that the Pakistani army carried out drone strikes on a bazaar and the commissioner’s office in Paktika province. According to the ministry, Afghan forces responded by targeting a nearby Pakistani base and posts, and several Pakistani soldiers were killed. The Afghan Taliban have denied any losses of their own. The BBC said it could not independently verify the claims of either side.

Local people said some residents living near the border had to move temporarily to safer places during the firing.