GARDEZ (SW) – Hundreds of families have been displaced from Paktia’s Dandpatan district after artillery shelling by Pakistani forces from across the Durand Line.
In the past six days, there have been three clashes between the forces of the Islamic Emirate and the Pakistani military along the Durand line in Dandpatan district of Paktia province.
Local residents say that Pakistani soldiers have fired on people’s houses, as a result of which hundreds of families have been forced to leave their homes.
Displaced families told Salam Watandar that the residents of “Satya”, “Sapiri”, “Zaziabad” and a number of other areas have been forced to go to safe areas to protect their lives from the shelling by Pakistani soldiers.
Syed Al Rahman, a displaced person of Dandpatan district, said: “After 1:30 a.m. when the war with Pakistan started in Boroki and Turkundo areas, the people of Setia, Sepiri, Dandi and Zaziabad left the area. Cannons and mortars were coming from Pakistan and hitting people’s houses. It was night and the number of casualties was unknown. The people all fled; ”
Younes Khan, a resident of Dandpatan district, told Salam Watandar that the Pakistani military opposed the construction of a road on this side of the Durand Line and near the barbed wire, and because of this, a conflict occurred between the two sides. “From our side, the forces of the Islamic Emirate wanted to build a road, and two days ago, a war broke out during the work, and yesterday afternoon, the war started again, and a fierce war was going on until 8:00 last night.”
However, the local authorities of Paktia have not said anything to the media about these clashes. A government source, on the condition of anonymity, told Salaam Watandar that the conflict occurred after the forces of the Islamic Emirate wanted to establish a security checkpoint on this side of the Durand Line and build a road for it. But Pakistani soldiers tried to stop them.
According to the source, as a result of the latest conflict between the two sides, one Islamic Emirate force member was killed and two of them were wounded. Nine civilians were also injured in this conflict but nothing has been said about the casualties on the Pakistani side.
Nasir Ahmad Rahmani, the director of the provincial hospital in Paktia, told Salam Watandar that one person was killed and six wounded from Sunday’s conflict have been transferred to this hospital.
ENDS
