Khar, 21 April (AKI/DAWN) - Three missiles fired from across the Afghan border landed in Pakistan's adjacent tribal area of Charmang, injuring a 15-year-old girl on Wednesday. The borderland's political agent [the Pakistani federal government's representative] Mohammad Fahim Wazir confirmed that the missiles had been fired from across the border. Wazir said that political authorities and law-enforcement agencies had started an investigation. However, he said preliminary reports suggested that the missiles had been fired by mistake.
| Somehow, I doubt it. Read on. |
Sources said that US forces which had started an operation against al-Qaeda elements in AfghanistanÂ’s Kunar province, near the Pakistani border, fired three missiles at 1 am local time on Wednesday. | We don't fire by 'mistake' |
The sources said that one missile landed near the house of Hazrat Gul in the Kohi Karkani village, about 40 kilometres west of Khar. GulÂ’s 15-year-old daughter suffered injuries and the house was partially damaged. The wounded girl was taken to a hospital in Khar where her condition was said to be serious. Tribesmen strongly protested against the attack and asked the Afghan government to ensure that such incidents would not recur.
The Pakistani government has deployed regular and paramilitary troops to the Bajaur Agency and other areas bordering Kunar province to stop the infiltration of terrorists from the Afghanistan where the operation against militants is under way. In January, US-led forces launched air strikes in North Waziristan and in the Bajaur tribal area which left at least 26 people dead.
Currently there are 20,000 American troops in Afghanistan but Pakistan does not officially allow them to operate across the border. Pakistan for its part has deployed 80,000 troops in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. |