Pakistan’s army killed 16 Islamist militants along the country’s western border with Afghanistan, according to a statement released yesterday.
The statement confirmed that the militants were killed in a clash that occurred during the night between March 22 and 23 in North Waziristan district. The army said its troops “effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate.”
Islamabad has long claimed that Islamist militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan and target the army have safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies, as reported by Reuters.
In a separate incident, gunmen killed four ethnic Punjabi labourers and four policemen in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, officials confirmed.
Attacks on workers from other parts of the country have risen in Balochistan, with militants accusing them of profiting from the region, according to AFP.
The attack occurred in Mangocher town in Kalat district, located in Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
“The militants on motorcycles shot dead four Punjabi labourers, who were operators of borewell drilling equipment,” Ali Gul Imrani, a local administration official, stated to AFP.
A local police official, Muhammad Asghar, also verified the details to AFP.
In another attack, four policemen were killed in an ambush in Nushki district in the same province.
