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Pakistan says coalition forces kill 24 Taliban on its border

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, July 15, IRNA
Pakistan-Taliban
Pakistan Army said on Friday that US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have killed 24 suspected Taliban fighters in Pakistani territory close to the Afghan border.

"During the search we found 24 dead bodies of those involved in the alleged operation and two destroyed twin-cabin cars," Pakistan military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said.

The spokesman said Pakistani troops were not involved in the operation at Lwara Mandi area of Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region.

Lwara Mandi is located 90 kilometers south of Miran Shah, the headquarters of North Waziristan.

"Our troops were on alert and took position to stop if anyone tried to enter our territory," Sultan said.

He said Pakistan forces were put on alert after information was received last night that there had been clashes between the coalition and anti-coalition forces. "Our forces were on standby so that no one could be allowed to enter Pakistan," he added.

Sultan said the firing and deaths occurred sometimes in the night as the coalition forces have the stand up capability and to fire in the night, "so at a stage during the clash they fired on them and the casualties took place on our soil".

Asked if the coalition forces fired missile in Pakistani territory, the spokesman said that it will be determined that if the coalition forces violated Pakistani territory or air space, but he said the people were killed on Pakistani territory.

Asked if there was any possibility of operation in the North Waziristan, Sultan said Pakistan troops are engaged in search in the area if there is any alleged terrorist, Taliban, or miscreants to arrest them.

Pakistan said that 70,000 troops have been deployed in tribal areas and 669 check posts were established to check illegal cross-border movement.

The Pak-Afghan border area is porous with several pathways that it was almost impossible to close them all.

Tension has been building for months in North Waziristan Agency since the army completed a series of offensive to dislodge militants from bases in neighbouring South Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan.

On Thursday, the Pakistan army warned of an imminent military operation to wipe out foreign militants including Al-Qaeda fighters, hiding in tribal areas, press reports said on Friday.

At a meeting, Major General Akram Sahi, commander of Pakistani troops in North Waziristan Agency, gave 24 hours to hand over suspected militants.

Meanwhile, over 30,000 Afghan refugees have been assisted to repatriate over the past three weeks from North Waziristan Agency, following the decision to close the camps they were living in on June 30 for security reasons.

The government decided to repatriate the Afghan refugees and also facilitate their relocation, if they did not want to return to their motherland.

This measure was taken due to security situation in the area.

TK/TSH/1771