Mortar fire from Afghanistan injures 10 in Pakistan

Islamabad - Eight soldiers and two civilians were injured overnight when mortar fire from Afghanistan hit a Pakistani border post in the country's restive tribal area, officials said Friday.

The post in the Angoor Ada area of South Waziristan came under fire Thursday night as Taliban insurgents were retreating to Pakistan following an attack on a US Marine camp in the Afghan province of Paktika.

"Around a dozen mortars were fired from the other side of the border, which destroyed the FC (Frontier Corps) border post," a local security official said.

The eight injured soldiers were airlifted to a military hospital in Bannu district of the North-West Frontier Province.

Pakistan's tribal areas provide sanctuaries for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who regularly cross the border to launch attacks on NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan, a fact that recently heightened tension on the border.

On June 10, 11 FC troops, including one officer, were killed when US planes bombarded a Pakistani border post in the neighbouring Mohmand Agency tribal district.

US aircraft also entered Pakistani airspace during Thursday's mortar attack. (dpa)