Five Pakistani soldiers killed, Afghan diplomat summoned

Islamabad, March 6: Pakistan on Monday summoned a senior Afghan diplomat and lodged a protest over a cross-border attack that killed five Pakistani soldiers. The army said earlier that terrorists launched attacks on three checkpoints in Mohmand Agency a day earlier. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed the attacks. Pakistani officials insist that Ahrar, blamed for several deadly attacks in Pakistan, operates from Afghanistan. The deputy head of the Afghan mission was called to the Foreign Office on Monday and conveyed Pakistan’s grave concern over the killings, the Foreign Ministry said. A ministry statement said the Afghan government was urged to thoroughly investigate the incidents and take firm action against the terrorists operating from its soil to prevent recurrence of such incidents. (ians)