Pakistani soldiers killed during search and destroy mission on Pak Afghan border

Two Pakistani Army soldiers were killed and three others injured when a roadside Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated during a search and destroy operation in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday. The incident took place in the tribal border area called Waziristan, on the Pakistani side – a haven for Salafist Jihadist militant groups.

The Pakistan army operation was carried out in part in response to demands made last week by US President Donald Trump, singling Pakistan out as not doing enough to combat militant insurgencies in the border areas. Trump has demanded that Pakistan shut down safe havens for the Afghan Taliban.

The death of the two soldiers had a direct impact on the ongoing top military meetings being carried out in Tajikistan, where Pakistan, Afghan, Tajik, and other army chiefs were meeting to discuss regional responses to the escalating Taliban problem. In light of the incident, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, ranking four-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army and current Chief of Army Staff, suggested that a regional joint task force be created as soon as possible to send troops into the contested areas. The proposal was met with what has been described as reluctant agreement by General Sharif Yaftalin, the Afghan Chief of Army.

General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, stated that while militants in the border areas are a significant threat to the stability of the region, the real problem is often militant sanctuaries found in large Pakistani cities.

LIMA CHARLIE, MENA Desk

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