Context
Pakistani Taliban fighters attacked check posts in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. The cross border attack started at 4 am and left up to 32 security personnel dead.
According to a Pakistani intelligence official, the raid was organized by Maulana Fazlullah, Maulvi Faqir and their close aides Miftakhudin and Hafizulah alias Koachwan. Most of the panning is alleged to have taken place in Barikot village of Kunar province. As a result of the Swat operation, conducted by Pakistan’s military in late 2009, Key figures of Pakistani Taliban are believed to have found refuge in Kunar province. NATO and Afghan security forces have minimal presence in Kunar province. US forces had evacuated the area earlier after suffering heavy loses. The cross-border raids from Afghanistan into Pakistan are on the increase.
The Afghan charge d’affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office and a protest lodged over the ‘attacks on seven Pakistani check posts in Chitral.
