100 dead as Pakistan repels cross-border territory grab by militants
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 10 September 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 100 dead as Pakistan repels cross-border territory grab by militants, 10 September 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5052e2d623.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 10, 2012
A Pakistani soldier holds a rocket launcher while securing the area in the Bajur tribal region on the border with Afghanistan. (file photo)
A government official says Pakistani security forces have pushed Taliban militants who came from Afghanistan back across the border after more than two weeks of fighting in the country's northwest.
Analysts say the initial incursian marked the first time Pakistani militants based in Afghanistan had come into Pakistan and seized territory for a significant amount of time.
The government official, Jehangir Azam Wazir, says the fighting in the Bajur tribal area has killed more than 100 people, including at least 80 militants, 18 civilians, and eight soldiers in recent weeks.
Thirteen more Pakistani soldiers are missing and feared to be in Taliban hands.
Wazir said that hundreds of people who were trapped by the fighting in border villages in Bajur's Salarzai region were finally able to leave.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan confirmed the militants had retreated but planned to regroup and attack again.
Based on reporting by AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
