Pakistan: another cross-border terror attack

A deadly cross-border invasion on September 6 grabbed news in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Chitral district.

Chitral is situated in a key strategic area, bordering Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and is only divided by the Wakhan Corridor. Xinjiang, China, is also close by.

Even though there hasn’t been much terrorist action in Chitral, this makes it attractive to terrorist organizations looking to grow their operations.

The intrusion happened near traditional Kalash territory, and a substantial Ismaili community also exists in Chitral. The Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) and sectarian extremists thrive on attacking minority groups, thus the authorities must step up security in the area, according to Dawn.

The number of invaders was reportedly in the ‘hundreds’, however, the authorities have not released any estimates.

While the Foreign Office reiterates that Pakistan’s concerns have been brought up with the relevant parties in Kabul, the interim foreign minister claims that the attack was an “isolated incident” and that the Afghan Taliban leadership did not support it, according to Dawn.

A jirga in Chitral has demanded that the commander of the army visit the region and that the border with Afghanistan be fenced.

Notably, The Express Tribune reported on Sunday, that the key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed for the fifth straight day despite ongoing negotiations to reopen the border.

The border was shut down after fights broke out over the building of a new post along the border,

Four Afghan children, two Taliban fighters, and two Pakistani army soldiers have all died as a result of these conflicts. Torkham’s border crossing has also been shut down.

According to local authorities, the major Torkham border crossing was shut down on Wednesday when Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces began exchanging fire.

Each side accused the other of starting the fight. No casualties have been recorded as of yet.

The 2,600 km (1,615 miles) border has been the source of disputes between the neighbors for many years, according to Dawn.

The border crossing has been shut down numerous times recently, including once in February when thousands of vehicles carrying supplies were left stuck on both sides of the border for days.