Afghan regions hit by airstrikes

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Taliban fighters attacked several Pakistani military posts along the Afghan border yesterday, sparking an hours-long gunbattle that included Pakistan launching airstrikes into Afghanistan, authorities said.

Pakistan said soldiers killed 16 militants, while Afghan officials said the airstrikes killed five civilians.

The fighting was the latest cross-border attack along the volatile and porous Pakistan-Afghanistan boundary and again tests the two countries’ already uneasy relations.

Two Pakistani military officers blamed the local Pakistani Taliban for the attack, saying dozens of fighters from the group crossed into Pakistan overnight to carry out the attack. A Foreign Ministry statement said “over 200 terrorists” took part.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 1,400-mile border, and militants from both sides routinely launch crossborder attacks before fleeing back into their country. The border area is remote and off limits to reporters, making it difficult to independently confirm information about fighting or military operations in the tribal regions.

Mortar attacks and other military operations routinely strain relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai long has accused Pakistan of sheltering Taliban militants and other extremists.

The Pakistani Taliban have killed thousands of people in an attempt to impose Islamic law in Pakistan and end the government’s support for the U.S.led war in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has made negotiations with the Taliban a centerpiece of his government. Supporters of the peace talks argue that negotiations are the only way to end the cycle of violence, while critics say a deal will only strengthen militant ranks, allow them to regroup and strike back with more force.