Suicide attack leaves 7 dead from the Pakistani army despite border truce with Afghanistan
In a dramatic development reflecting the fragility of the border truce between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistani security officials announced today, Friday, that seven soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in a suicide attack targeting an army camp in the North Waziristan area near the border.
According to statements from five security officials, the attack was carried out when an armed militant rammed a car bomb into the wall of a fortified camp used by the Pakistani army. Concurrently, two other militants attempted to storm the facility but were shot dead by the forces. The Pakistani army has not issued any official comment on the incident at the time of publishing this news.
This attack came after a cautious calm prevailed along the border between the two countries on Thursday, after they reached a ceasefire that took effect at 13:00 UTC on Wednesday. The truce, which Islamabad announced would last for 48 hours, aims to enable "reaching a positive solution through constructive dialogue," following several days of bloody clashes that extended from the border areas to the Afghan capital, Kabul.
In Kabul, reporters from the "France Presse" agency witnessed municipal workers busy repairing damage in one neighborhood, where the traces of black smoke still covered the roads, while some neighborhoods remained without electricity due to damaged power cables.
On the Pakistani side of the border, in the city of Chaman, markets reopened on Thursday morning, but saw less than usual turnout.
For his part, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif placed the responsibility for sustaining the truce on the Afghan Taliban government. Sharif said during a government meeting on Thursday: "We agreed to a temporary ceasefire lasting 48 hours," emphasizing that "the ball is in their court."
The Prime Minister added: "If they wish to solve the problems and meet our legitimate demands, we are ready to welcome them. The ball is in their court."
