KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) reiterated on Thursday its stance that Pakistan was responsible for the region's growing insurgency after Pakistan urged NATO to help stop insurgents crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan. MOD spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said that Pakistan's claims were not going to help solve the problem of terrorism, rather, it will only contribute to the problem.

"With confidence we can say that every day, dozens of insurgents are crossing the border [from Pakistan] into Afghanistan. They are equipped and trained outside of Afghanistan's territory. No insurgents are crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan," he told Tolonews.

His comments come after Pakistan's Army Chief Gen. Kayani urged the top US and ISAF commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen to curb border incursions during Allen's visit to the country.
A senior Pakistani military official told AFP that the meeting with Allen was a routine affair.

"We also raised the issue of cross-border attacks on the Pakistan military from Afghanistan. We demanded that ISAF take action against the militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan and eliminate the militant groups involved in cross-border attacks inside Pakistan," he said.

Pakistan said around 100 Afghan-based insurgents crossed the border into its northwestern district of Upper Dir on Sunday. At least 13 soldiers were killed and around 11 are still missing. Pakistani officials said Tuesday that seven of them were beheaded.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident early in the week, and released a video on Thursday with 17 heads of men placed on a sheet which it claims are the soldiers it attacked. It said 18 soldiers were killed.

Allen and Kayani also discussed Pakistan's seven-month blockade on overland NATO supplies into Afghanistan after US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the Afghan border on November 26. (Tolo News)