Pakistan to fence whole border with Afghanistan

The Pakistan Army has said the whole border with Afghanistan will be fenced to curb cross-border movement of militants.

The military said on Tuesday that the phased fencing of the border had commenced in high infiltration prone border areas in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber tribal agencies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have share a nearly 2,600 km border, mostly porous, routinely blame each other for failure to stop the movement of militants.

Armed groups had also been active in the tribal regions for years.

A statement from the Army's Inter-Services Public Relations said the fencing of the remaining border areas including Balochistan will be carried out later.

Besides fencing, the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps, the paramilitary force responsible for border security, are constructing new forts and border posts to improve surveillance and defensibility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"A secure Pakistan-Afghan border is in the common interest of both countries and a well-coordinated border security mechanism is essential for enduring peace and stability," said the statement.

--IANS

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