by Shahzad Masood Roomi
Seven Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed, in Angoor Adda, early Tuesday morning as unknown militants open fire from the Afghan side of the border.
According to ISPR, “The firing occurred on an FC check post northeast of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan,”. As per media reports, apart from 7 killed, 3 other FC soldiers sustained injuries in the attack. Pakistan has condemned the firing incident very strongly in which 7 FC personnel were killed.
The attacks on Pakistan army from Afghanistan have increased during the last few days. Militants, most probably from TTP, have adopted a new strategy of hitting Pakistan army check posts on Pak Afghan border from within Afghanistan where TTP has established strongholds after they were pushed out from North Waziristan by Pakistan Army. This strategy is working well so far for TTP and other hostile elements as Pakistan Army cannot chase them in Afghanistan without crossing Durand Line as doing so would be a direct violation of international law. Previously, TTP militants used to mount physical attacks on Pakistan check posts. Such attacks always resulted in heavy TTP casualties in result of Pakistan Army’s retaliation. On some occasions, suicide attacks were also launched on Pakistani troops at Durand Line.
The latest attack on FC post is not an isolated incident highlighting a change in TTP’s tactics but is continuation of series of attacks which started few days back. Earlier on Sunday, at least four soldiers of the Pakistan Army were killed and four others were injured as militant groups fired rockets from across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Agency.
“Four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and four others injured due to rocket fire,” an ISPR statement said. “According to reports, rounds fired from Afghanistan side opposite Khyber Agency by terrorists hit a 8,000 feet high Pakistani post in Akhandwala Pass,” the statement added.
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan has no control over vast swathe of open border between the two countries. Terrorists are taking advantage of ungoverned spaces available to them on Pak-Afghan border. Due to these open spaces, this region has been described as global risk.
These attacks are taking place at a time, when Pakistan's PM Nawaz Sharif has just returned from the US where Pakistan was asked to 'do more' in fight against terrorism. While Pakistani delegation failed to raise the issue of presence of TTP and its attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan. Apart from it, Pakistan's dossier about Indian involvement in Pakistan from Afghanistan also failed to trigger any US action against Indian or Afghan government. This is not the first time Pakistan shared any vital evidence with the US about Indian involvement in Pakistan, earlier this year, COAS Gen Raheel Sharif also shared the similar evidence with the US authorities in January when he visited the US. But no initiatives were taken by the US government to address Pakistan's security concerns. This inaction by Washington is also an encouraging factor for all the anti-Pakistan entities operating in Afghanistan. Furthermore, these attacks and violence in Afghanistan are affecting Pak-Afghan relations adversely.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier reiterated his call on Pakistan to adopt the “same definition” for terrorism for attacks in Afghanistan as it does for attacks across the Durand Line.
It is evident that Pakistan will have to adopt according to the fluid security environment of the region. It demands combination of hard and soft power. Border security measures and diplomacy will have to be deployed in tandem. This border must be mined and fenced as well despite the opposition of Afghan government and the US. Pakistan's security must be paramount for the national security managers. But highlighting the ground realities on Pak-Afghan complex security scenario is more important task for Islamabad. In this regard, the appointment of Gen (r) Nasir Junjua as National Security Adviser (NSA) by PM Sharif is a step in the right direction. Being involved in sensitive Baluchistan province -a part of Pakistan worst affected by Indian backed insurgencies -he will be in a position to present Pakistan's case on international forums more appropriate manner.
