Asia-Pacific

4 Pakistani children injured by Afghan rockets

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-07-04 17:01

ISLAMABAD - Tribesmen in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region said Monday that four children were injured in rocket firing from Afghan territory.

It was not immediately known whether the NATO or Afghan forces fired rockets into Pakistani border region.

The injured were shifted to the main hospital in Miranshah, center of North Waziristan tribal agency, a correspondent in the region said by phone.

Doctors said that one child is in critical condition.

Tribesmen said that scores of rockets landed at Bang Dar border village and some hit houses.

Pakistani and Afghan officials have recently claimed shelling in each other's territory, which caused diplomatic row between the two countries. Both summoned ambassadors to the foreign ministries for lodging formal protest.

Pakistan says armed militants from Afghanistan entered Pakistani areas and launched five attacks in a month on the border checkpoints and villages, killing nearly 40 soldiers and injuring 80 others.

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Afghan authorities say that Pakistani forces have fired hundreds of rockets and artillery shells into Afghanistan's eastern Kunar and Nangrahar provinces which killed dozens of people including women and children.

Tension along the border increased at a time when Pakistan and Afghanistan have formed a joint peace and reconciliation commission to work jointly to get the armed Taliban to the negotiation table.