Anwar Zeb Khan, a representative of Bajaur in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly of Pakistan, has revealed that hundreds of insurgents from Afghanistan have entered the Bajaur region and seized control of five checkpoints.
According to Khan, the insurgents have raised the flag of the Afghan Taliban in the area.
The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Wednesday, 1 January, that Khan made these remarks during a session in which the provincial assembly summoned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police commander.
Khan, a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, stated: “The terrorists entered the [Bajaur] region in broad daylight last Sunday, seized the checkpoints, and raised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan flags while chanting slogans in its favour.”
He further noted that approximately 400 insurgents captured checkpoints located in the “Mulla Saeed Banda” area, which lies far from the Afghan border.
Criticising the effectiveness of the fenced border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Khan remarked: “I am simply astonished at how such a large number of terrorists managed to cross the fenced border.”
The Pakistani politician disclosed that the insurgents have fortified their positions by digging new trenches and building strongholds in the region. He added that the Pakistan Army has asked residents of the Mulla Saeed Banda area to evacuate, allowing for a clearance operation to be conducted.
In recent weeks, insurgent attacks have escalated in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani military has consistently alleged that insurgents carry out these attacks from Afghan territory. However, the Taliban have rejected these accusations, asserting that Pakistan is shifting the blame for its security failures onto others.
