Afghanistan claimed on Monday that the militants who attacked a border check post in eastern Kunar border region and killed 21 Afghan soldiers had entered from Pakistani side of the border.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Shakeeb Mustaghni, however did not directly blame Pakistan for the incident and said investigations are underway.
Afghan Taliban had claimed responsbility for the late Saturday attack and their spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Taliban fighters had also captured the post.
“One thing is very clear that the terrorists had entered Afghanistan and attacked the Afghan National Army’s troops had come from the areas which are currently under Pakistan’s control,” Mustaghni told his weekly press briefing in Kabul.
The Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi also said in Kabul on Monday that “a country has been involved in the killing of 21 ANA troops.” He did not name any country.
He told a ceremony of handing over bodies of the salin soldiers to their families that Afghan and foreign Taliban had launched the attack but a country has also role in the incident, according to Afghan state Bakhtar news agency.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman did not directly respond to a question when asked if Pakistan was behind the attack.
“More investigations are required whether or not Pakistan has taken revenge,” Mustaghni said when he was asked if the attack was a reaction to the killing of 23 Frontier Corps men by the Pakistan Taliban last week.
Pakistan believes the FC personnel had been executed on the Afghan side of the border by the Taliban Mohmand agency chapter who operate along the border region.
“I once again want to insist that such incidents underscores the need for Afghanistan to urge Pakistan to extend sincere cooperation to fight terrorism,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
“As we have earlier stated and we still believe that any terrorist act is the result of the short-sighted policy to use terrorism as a mean of strategic influence. Terrorism is the common enemy of Pakistan and Afghanistan and we have always called for sincere cooperation,” he went on to say.
President Hamid Karzai, who had cancelled his planned visit to Sri Lanka due to the attack, had urged launched a fresh appeal to Pakstan to cooperate to fight terrorism.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman said Kabul could come up with a fiormal protest once investigation into the Kunar attack is completed and evidences collected.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had claimed that they had destroyed the check post at Ghazi Abad district in Kunar. However, correspondents in the region had disputed the claim and the post still stand in the same position.
The Taliban have also taken away nearly six ANA soldiers alive and Afghan officials were busy on Monday to secure their release.
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