Senior Pakistan officer killed by Taliban as talks falter
Peace negotiations between the government and the insurgents broke down a day earlier
A senior Pakistani army officer was killed on Tuesday in an exchange of fire with the Taliban, the military said, after peace negotiations between the government and the insurgents broke down a day earlier.
“[The] exchange of fire continues,” the army’s press wing said in a statement, adding the attack took place near the volatile city of Peshawar on the Afghan border.
On Monday,Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday condemned the “heinous” execution of kidnapped soldiers by a Taliban faction, warning that the deaths could affect ongoing peace talks.
“Such incidents have an extremely negative impact on the ongoing dialogue aimed at promoting peace,” Sharif said in a statement issued by his office.
A faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from the northwestern Mohmand district claimed on Sunday night that they had killed 23 paramilitary Frontier Corps members who were kidnapped in June 2010.
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