Pakistan army says 46 Afghan soldiers cross border seeking refuge amid Taliban offensive

Around 46 Afghan soldiers have crossed over the border with Pakistan seeking shelter in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province after losing control of a border post to Taliban militants along the international border. As per reports, the Pakistan Army said that the incident occurred on late July 25 in the Arundu sector in the country’s Chitral district when an Afghan National Army (ANA) local Commander requested for safety to Pakistan Army. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement saying that 46 soldiers including five officers belonging to ANA and Border Police “were unable to hold their military posts along Pak-Afghan International Border due to the evolving security situation in Afghanistan.”

“After contact with Afghan authorities and necessary military procedures, 46 soldiers including 5 officers have been given refuge/safe passage into Pakistan,” the Pakistan Army said while adding that the Afghan soldiers have been provided food, shelter and other essential supplies according to established norms of the military.

As per PTI, the army also said that Afghan soldiers will also be returned to the Afghan government authorities in a respectable manner after the due process is followed.

The Afghan soldiers sought Pakistan Army’s safety when the Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh has already accused the latter of providing crucial assistance to the Taliban. However, Pakistan has repeatedly denied the claims. Meanwhile, United States intelligence assessments have suggested that the Afghan government could fall to the insurgent group within months of US forces retreating which the American President Joe Biden has said that would be completed by August 31. While the Taliban continues to gain influence and has already acquired several key borders, Afghan officials have blamed Pakistan for harbouring and even assisting Taliban militants.

International community urged to condemn Taliban

On July 25, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan urged the international community, human rights agencies, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to strongly condemn reprehensible violence and crimes committed by the Taliban within Afghanistan and its continued links to international terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. The Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Sunday, “Taliban forces perpetrate in areas under their control unpardonable and prosecutable crimes, including illegal arrests, arbitral killings, torturing civilians, forced marriages, and violation of basic human rights, particularly women’s rights,” adding that it welcomes the recent Human Rights Watch and other verified independent sources’ to document the insurgent group’s violent crimes within the country. 

IMAGE: AP

(With PTI inputs)