25 Pak troops martyred in shelling from Afghanistan

Pakistan

25 Pak troops martyred in shelling from Afghanistan

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At least 25 Chitral Scout officials were martyred in mortar shelling from Afghanistan.

27 August,2011 10:10 am

Militants from Afghanistan launched a pre-dawn cross-border raid on Pakistani paramilitary posts in the Chitral district on Saturday, killing 25 soldiers and wounding many others, security officials said.A report said at least 20 militants have been killed in retaliatory attacks.Afghan militants attacked six posts manned by the Chitral Scouts militia in the border village of Arandu near Chitral which faces Afghanistans Nuristan province where Taliban militants have been active for years.Militants physically attacked some posts with heavy weapons while firing mortar bombs on others causing the casualties, one security official said.The official gave no further details. But an intelligence official in the region said the attackers numbered in the hundreds.Cross-border raids have raised tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months as they battle protracted insurgencies by Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.Pakistani Taliban fighters who fled to Afghanistan in the face of army offensives have joined allies there to regroup and threaten Pakistani border regions, analysts say.Twenty-seven Pakistani servicemen were killed and 45 militants died in clashes in July when some 600 militants from Afghanistan attacked two Pakistani villages in Dir region, also in the countrys northwest.Pakistan blames Afghanistan for giving refuge to militants on its side of the border, leaving its troops to counter-attack when it chases them out of the tribal areas and into Afghanistan.