A rocket fired from Afghanistan hit a shop in a restive Pakistani tribal region close to the Afghan border today, killing three people, officials said.
The incident happened in Angoor Adda Bazaar in the South Waziristan tribal district, one of the seven semi-autonomous regions where the Pakistani military has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants for more than a decade.
"One of the two rockets fired from Afghanistan's Birmal town hit a bread shop, killing three Afghan nationals who were residents of South Waziristan," a senior military official told AFP.
The second rocket fell in a secluded place.
The official said it was still unclear who had fired the rockets.
An intelligence official confirmed the incident.
The bazaar had been closed for six months after skirmishes between Pakistani and Afghan troops over construction by Pakistan close to the border. Officials said it re-opened just a week ago.
Pakistan's mountainous western border became a hotbed of Islamist militants following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The military began a long-awaited push to clear insurgent bases from the North Waziristan tribal district in June 2014 after a bloody Taliban attack on Karachi airport sank faltering peace talks.
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Afghanistan is concerned about the sanctuaries and safe havens that the terror groups enjoy in Pakistan, with Rabbani hoping that the government in Pakistan "will take this issue seriously."
Rabbani said the US can play a role in persuading Pakistan to "change course and act in good faith."
He noted that despite the fact that peace efforts with the Taliban have not met with desired results, Afghanistan is optimistic about making progress in talks with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the former prime minister of Afghanistan and founder and active leader of the Hezb-e Islami group.
"This is an important development," Rabbani said.
On whether Afghanistan has a vision on how it will manage its ties with India and Pakistan, he said Kabul's relation with one country is not at the expense of its relations with any other country.
"If you are close with one country, it does not mean we are moving away from other countries. We want to have good relationswith all the countries in the region, that includes Pakistan and India," he said.
