UPPER DIR, June 8: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Wednesday held the US and Afghanistan responsible for a recent attack on Shaltalo area of the district from across the border.

About 27 security forces personnel and four civilians were killed in the attack. The chief minister questioned intention and capabilities of the US and Afghan forces in eliminating militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan and stopping their attacks into Pakistan.

“I ask where were the US and Afghan forces when hundreds of militants attacked my country and my villages from across the border and killed innocent people?” he questioned.

Mr Hoti, who visited the district to discuss security situation with local elders after the Shaltalo attack, seemed disturbed over the incident and criticised both the US and Afghan forces without mincing words.

“Terrorists are responsible for the attack. But I also equally hold responsible the Afghan government and the foreign forces operating there for allowing such incidents to take place,” he added.

The chief minister said that the attack was a matter of concern for the government from all angles. “The attack suggests that either they (Afghan and US forces) are not capable of thwarting such incidents or they don’t want to stop such attacks. In both the cases, it is a matter of concern for us,” he said.

He said that his government took responsibility for failing to stop the attack but added that people should also not provide sanctuaries to militants.

“It’s obvious that these militants would not have come instantly but must have been provided support by the people in the village,” he added.

Mr Hoti said that regular army would be deployed on borders to ensure better security.

Praising role of lashkars in Upper Dir, he directed authorities to provide all kinds of necessary help to them.

He said though the tenure of special forces was about to complete, yet they would be incorporated in regular police gradually.