By Gul Yousafzai
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) -Heavy gunfire and artillery shelling by Afghan border forces killed six civilians across the border in Pakistan on Sunday and wounded another 17, the Pakistan army said.
Pakistani troops retaliated at the Chaman border crossing in southwestern Balochistan province, the army said in a statement, without giving details of any losses on the other side.
Afghan official Noor Ahmad, in Kandahar, the province on the Afghan side of the border, told Reuters the incident was accidental and the situation had returned to normal after both sides had a meeting. He gave no further details.
The Pakistan army statement said: “Afghan Border Forces opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire of heavy weapons including artillery/mortar onto the civilian population.”
It termed the incident an “uncalled for aggression” and said Pakistani troops had given a befitting response, while avoiding targeting civilians on the other side.
Pakistan had also approached Kabul to highlight the severity of the situation and demand strict action to avoid recurrence of the incident, it said.
(Writing and Additional Reporting by Asif ShahzadEditing by Peter Graff)
