Clashes between Afghan and Pakistani border guards that left more than a dozen dead will further strain ties between the two neighbours, Kabul said on Tuesday. The fighting erupted on Sunday and continued into Monday, when a NATO soldier and a Pakistani trooper were killed in an ambush after a meeting on the Pakistani side of the border aimed at calming the tension. Pakistan has said the gunman was unidentified, but Afghan President Hamid Karzais senior spokesman Karim Rahimi repeated on Monday the claim that a Pakistani officer had opened fire on the group.Islamabad has denied the allegation. Such incidents will have unpleasant effects on the relations between the two countries, Rahimi told reporters in Kabul, also accusing Pakistani guards of initiating the fighting at the weekend. The Pakistani military has said the other side triggered the clashes which involved heavy weapons and left 13 Afghans dead, about half of them policemen and the rest civilians, including children. The Afghan government has complained to the United Nations in a letter strongly opposing this flagrant interference and irresponsible action by the Pakistani army, the Foreign Ministry said. On Monday it summoned Pakistans ambassador accusing the neighbouring army of an intrusion into Afghan territory and of being provocative. Such incidents will no doubt affect our relations and are against the international norms and against agreements between the two brotherly countries to fight together against terrorism, the spokesman said. This is a very serious issue. We are trying through different diplomatic channels to assess the situation (and) to see the reason behind that, Rahimi said. The spokesman said his government was making efforts to see that similar incidents are avoided, but added that his country would be resolute. Afghanistan is ready to defend every inch of its soil. Our police are weak but they bravely defended their positions, he said.
Taliban rebels are still crossing the border from Pakistan to attack targets in Afghanistan and the two key US allies must boost cooperation to stop them, an Afghan spokesman said on Tuesday. The comments come ahead of a planned meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf in Turkey late this month to resolve months of bad blood over the insurgency. Afghanistans problem is clear. Terrorists are crossing the border from the other side of the border and carry out sabotage operations. Theyre active there, Afghan President Hamid Karzais chief spokesman 
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri arrives in Kabul today (Thursday) for talks on tribal councils aimed at stemming the growing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and putting an end to the worst fighting in that country since the regime was ousted in 2001. 
A remote-controlled bomb planted on a parked bicycle exploded near a police bus in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, wounding more than 10 policemen and several civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Senior police officer Ali Shah Paktiawal said the bomb was detonated as the bus carrying police passed in a densely crowded neighbourhood. Witnesses said three bystanders and three people in a passing car were also wounded. 
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday his government will give weapons to local tribesmen so they can help fight the biggest surge in Taliban violence in years. Speaking to a group of tribal elders from eastern Afghanistan, Karzai said he did not want to form militias that could clash with rival tribes. "We just want to strengthen the districts to safeguard them from terrorist attack," he said.
A dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan over intelligence in the war on terror worsened yesterday, with Kabul saying it has provided "very strong and accurate" information on Taliban and al Qaeda fugitives, which Islamabad has dismissed as outdated.