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AFGHANISTAN: The Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army General Qadam Shah Shaheem said Saturday that the Afghan government prefers other options to resolve the cross-border shelling along the Durand Line.
Gen. Saheem was speaking during a news briefing to provide update regarding the security situation of the country and the ongoing major military operation ‘Shafaq’.
He said the Ministry of Defense has assessed the Pakistani military incursions in Nangarhar, involving rocket attack and use of tanks on Lalpur district.
Gen. Shaheem further added that a member of the security personnel lost his life in the attack and the report regarding the assessment will be released later.
According to Gen. Shaheem, the Afghan government provides support to the Afghan Border Police forces along the Durand Line and will not station army considering the intergovernmental agreement between the two nations.
However, he said the use of army would be the last option to respond to the military aggressions along with the Durand Line if other options did not yield any positive result to halt the incursions.
He did not elaborate further regarding the options which the government has currently adopted to resolve the issue but the Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Syed Abrar Hussain was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MoFA) last week to protest regarding the shellings.
According to the local officials, the clashes among the Afghan and Pakistani border forces erupted following heavy shelling by the Pakistani forces which forced the Afghan Border Police forces to respond. -KP
THE PASHTUN TIMES
