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| Afghanistan |
| Afghans accuse Pakistan over fresh border shelling |
| 2011-09-26 |
| [Dawn] Afghan authorities on Sunday alleged that hundreds of rockets had been fired into Afghanistan from Pakistain in recent days, killing a child and forcing hundreds to flee their homes. Interior ministry front man Siddiq Siddiqui did not specify who was behind the cross-border shelling but added: "We call on Pakistain, whoever is behind the attacks, to prevent it immediately." He said that more than 340 rockets had been fired into Afghanistan over the past four days, mostly landing in villages and farmland in the province of Kunar. Two mosques and dozens of houses had been damaged while about 50 families had to flee their homes, Siddiqui added. Fazilullah Wahidy, the Kunar provincial governor, separately told AFP that at least one boy had been killed in the attacks. Cross-border shelling incidents frequently cause tension between Afghanistan and Pakistain. The border area between the two countries is seen as highly dangerous and a sanctuary for gunnies who launch attacks in Afghanistan. In June, Afghanistan warned that cross-border attacks could threaten "improving trust and cooperation" between the neighbours unless Pakistain addressed the issue. Pakistain denies any official involvement in the incidents. The latest shelling came shortly after the United States called on Pakistain to "break any link they have" with gunnies from the Haqqani network in border districts. In response, Pak Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... rejected claims of Pak complicity with the Haqqanis and said that US policy on Afghanistan was in "disarray." |
| Posted by:Fred |