Writethru: ISAF soldier killed near Afghan-Pakistani border

One ISAF soldier was killed and four others wounded in an ambush by unknown assailants on Pakistani soil near Afghan-Pakistani border on Monday, a statement of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The ambush occurred near Teri Mangel, Pakistan, when the soldiers were leaving a border meeting, the statement said, adding the meeting was held relative to a Afghan-Pakistani border clash happening over the past two days.

Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and ISAF attended the meeting, it said.

The name and nationality of the deceased soldier is being withheld until the next of kin have been notified, the statement said.

Earlier, Afghan officials claimed two U.S. soldiers were killed and two others injured by a Pakistani officer in the incident, which was strongly denied by the Pakistani army.

The two-day clash killed six policemen and seven civilians, and injured 16 policemen as well as 12 civilians on the Afghan side in Jaji district of Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Monday.

Azimi said the conflict first broke out on Sunday morning when Pakistani forces attempted to establish posts on hilltops about 3 km inside Afghanistan and Afghan policemen did not allow.

However, Gen. Waheed Arshad, a spokesman for the Pakistani army, said on Sunday that Afghan forces opened "unprovoked" fire at Pakistani border posts in Kurram Agency bordering Afghanistan, triggering a conflict.

Source: Xinhua