Afghans Blast Pak. Over Shelling

Reuters reports:

Afghanistan on Monday complained to Pakistan about its shelling of Afghan villages, soon after an assault by Pakistani forces drove militants across the border.

The two sides blame each other for failing to crack down hard enough on militants along a porous border across which insurgents move freely.

The fighting threatens to raise tensions as the United States prepares to announce a gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan next month.

An Afghan ministry statement said Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul spoke to the Pakistani ambassador over shelling by the Pakistani military of villages in the Sarkano district of Kunar province, close to the border, earlier on Monday.