Pakistan Military Says Four Soldiers Killed Near Afghan Border

May 05, 2021

Militants in Afghanistan opened fire across the border at soldiers in southwestern Pakistan on May 5, killing at least four soldiers and wounding six before fleeing, the Pakistani military said.

The soldiers were attacked while they were overseeing the installation of fencing near the town of Zhob in the province of Balochistan, the military said in a statement. It said the troops returned fire. No one claimed responsibility and the military provided no further details.

Pakistan started installing a fence on the Afghan border in 2017 to contain the movements of militants and to curb smuggling and illegal border crossing.

About 85 percent of the fence has been completed already along the 2,611-kilometer border with Afghanistan, according to Pakistani authorities.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistan- military-says-four-soldiers-killed- near-afghan-border/31239063.html

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.