Afghan base in Paktika hit with rounds launched from Pakistan

An Afghan Army base and a Coalition base were targeted by rockets or mortars launched from across the border in Pakistan on Saturday, the International Security Assistance Force reported.

Three rounds landed inside the Afghan National Army base inside Paktika province, while another three rounds landed outside the ISAF base. No casualties were reported in the initial attack.

Coalition forces responded to the attack with artillery fire after it was “determined the origination of the rounds to be in Pakistan.” The Pakistani military was “immediately notified” after the attack took place.

There are no reports of casualties inside Pakistan at this time. The Associated Press of Pakistan, the government’s news service, and the Pakistani media have not reported on the incident.

It is unclear is the initial attack was launched by the Pakistani military or the Taliban. Paktika province borders the lawless Pakistani tribal districts of North and South Waziristan, as well as the district of Zhob in Baluchistan province. These regions are infested with Taliban fighters.

The cross border attack from Pakistan occurred 11 days after US forces engaged a Taliban force as it retreated from Afghanistan’s Kunar province across the border into Pakistan’s Mohmand tribal agency.

The engagement sparked an international incident. The US confirmed it killed eight Taliban fighters, while the Pakistani government said 11 Pakistani troops were killed. The Pakistani government expressed outrage over the strike.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened to strike at Taliban forces, including Baitullah Mehsud, inside Pakistan if the government could not contain the threat. The Pakistani government is negotiating a series of peace deal with the Taliban, while senior Taliban leaders vow to continue attacks inside Afghanistan.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Tags: Afghanistan, Pakistan