DIR: US and Afghan troops launched a joint operation in Afghanistan's Kunar province as Pakistan deployed paramilitary forces along the Pak-Afghan border to check the possible infiltration of fleeing Al Qaeda and Taliban elements. Military authorities said that forces were deployed to check the movement of terrorists from Afghanistan to Pakistan, rejecting claims that the troops were deployed to assist US forces. A source in Dir civil administration said that paramilitary soldiers were being deployed along the border stretching from Dir Lower to Dir Upper and Chitral districts. The military declined to reveal the exact number of soldiers to be stationed at the border overlooking Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province.