Soldiers killed in cross-border artillery fire

ISLAMABAD (AP):

Mortar shells and artillery fired from Afghanistan killed four Pakistani paramilitary troops in a tribal region yesterday, the Pakistani army said. It was the latest in a spate of cross-border attacks that have raised tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the Frontier Corps soldiers died in the Angoor Ada area of South Waziristan, a northwestern region where the military has fought the Pakistani Taliban. The military relies heavily on paramilitary troops to police the lengthy, porous border.

Abbas did not blame any particular faction, but Western forces, Afghan troops and Taliban militants all operate along various parts of the Afghan side of the border. There was no immediate response from NATO in Kabul.

In recent weeks, militants have crossed the frontier on several occasions and attacked Pakistani villages, leaving dozens of people dead, according to Pakistani officials. Firing from across the border is also not unprecedented.

A United States official in Islamabad said they were trying to determine whether American or Afghan forces on the other side of the border could be the source of the fire. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was still under investigation.