Pakistan says fence on Afghan border will reduce attacks
Pakistan's military said Wednesday that new fencing and guard posts along the border with Afghanistan would help prevent militant attacks in both countries, but the stepped-up fortifications have angered Kabul, which does not recognize the frontier as an international border.
Maj. Gen. Nauman Zakaria, the commander for the South Waziristan tribal region, told reporters during a visit to the border that after the fencing is complete, no "terrorist" will be able to use Afghan or Pakistani soil to launch cross-border attacks. Pakistan began construction of the fencing in June.
Standing at a post overlooking Afghan villages across the border, Zakaria said troops and paramilitary forces had defeated militants by launching several operations in the troubled region, which was a longtime stronghold for al-Qaida and the Taliban, as well as criminal gangs.
