Afghanistan raises issue of shelling by Pakistan across Durand Line in UNSC
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WASHINGTON - Afghan Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud Saikal told Security Council on Thursday regarding fire by Pakistan Army across Durand Line on terrorists dens, Pajhwok news has reported.
“Under the pretext of receiving fire from our side, Pakistan's violations across the Durand Line including indiscriminate artillery shelling, has continued unabated throughout 2017,” Saikal said participating in a Security Council debate on Afghanistan.
The proposal of Afghanistan for engagement and operational coordination towards addressing these concerns has not seen any response, he told the UN Security Council.
“At the same time, Afghanistan has the will and the capacity to defend its territory and our patience should not be tested,” Saikal said.
Afghanistan believes that confidence building measures can only be successful when violations of this nature come to a complete halt, he said.
“In a similar vein, we are also in communication on the imperative of addressing terrorists' regional safe havens and hope to see positive developments on this front soon,” he said adding that Afghanistan looks forward to the upcoming trilateral meeting in Beijing next week between the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.
Saikal said terrorists have failed to make any notable gains on the ground and have suffered heavy losses in terms of manpower and morale. Pressured militarily, they have desperately resorted to soft target attacks in urban areas, he said adding that Afghan security forces have proven their effectiveness in countering terrorist elements in independently conducted operations.
“We continue to clear territory in different parts of Afghanistan from the presence of the Taliban, Daesh and other terrorist groups,” he said.
“As of late, a significant number of senior Taliban and Daesh figures have been eliminated and captured, including financiers, planners and recruiters, while scores of attacks were prevented and subverted,” he said.
“Alongside these gains, we are now working to double the size of our Special Forces and triple the size of our air-force, with support from our international partners,” Saikal said.
