Pakistan Says Afghan Forces Kill 6 Civilians in Cross-Border Fire 

Residents gather after Taliban forces fired mortars at Pakistan's border town of Chaman on December 11, 2022. (AFP)
Residents gather after Taliban forces fired mortars at Pakistan's border town of Chaman on December 11, 2022. (AFP)
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Pakistan Says Afghan Forces Kill 6 Civilians in Cross-Border Fire 

Residents gather after Taliban forces fired mortars at Pakistan's border town of Chaman on December 11, 2022. (AFP)
Residents gather after Taliban forces fired mortars at Pakistan's border town of Chaman on December 11, 2022. (AFP)

Heavy gunfire and artillery shelling by Afghan border forces killed six civilians across the border in Pakistan on Sunday and wounded another 17, the Pakistan army said. 

Pakistani troops retaliated at the Chaman border crossing in southwestern Balochistan province, the army said in a statement, without giving details of any losses on the other side. 

Afghan official Noor Ahmad, in Kandahar, the province on the Afghan side of the border, told Reuters the incident was accidental and the situation had returned to normal after the two sides had a meeting. 

He gave no further details on any casualties on Afghan side. 

Afghan security sources said the clash started after Pakistani forces demanded that Afghan forces stop building a new check post on their side of the border. 

The Pakistan army statement described the incident as an "uncalled for aggression" and said Pakistani troops had responded proportionately, avoiding the targeting of civilians on the other side. 

"Afghan Border Forces opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire of heavy weapons including artillery/mortar onto the civilian population," the statement said. 

Pakistan had approached Kabul to demand action to avoid a recurrence of the incident, it said. 

The busy Afghan border crossing at Chaman, used for trade and transit, was closed for some hours before reopening, officials on both sides said. The crossing was closed for several days last month after similar clashes. 



US Military Heightens Security Alert at European Bases Due to Combination of Threats

(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games.  (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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US Military Heightens Security Alert at European Bases Due to Combination of Threats

(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games.  (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

The US military has raised the security protection measures it is taking at its bases throughout Europe, asking service members to be more vigilant and keep a lower profile due to a combination of threats it is seeing across the region.
US European Command said in a statement Sunday that a “variety of factors play into the safety of US military community abroad.”
Increasing the threat level to “Charlie” is the result of a combination of events occurring across Europe, including elections in France and the UK, the upcoming Olympics and other major sporting events, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details. But they said they were not aware of any specific threat.
Force protection Charlie is the second-highest level for service members and is instituted “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely,” The Associated Press reported.
Raising the threat level to Charlie means additional security measures will be in place at US military installations, but it's up to each commander's discretion to determine what those measures are. It also means service members and their families who are living in each community should be more aware of their surroundings and maintain a lower profile, one of the officials said.