ISLAMABAD: One of the key border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Torkham border remained closed for all kinds of traffic for the second day following a clash between the forces of the two countries.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Army and Afghan Taliban forces exchanged heavy fire, resulting in the closure of the Torkham crossing border, obviously the main point of transit for passengers and goods between the two neighboring countries.
Torkham border is only 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and 74 km east of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.
A local journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closure of the border, adding that activities have been suspended since yesterday, however, efforts were on to resolve the issue and defuse the tension.
Clashes on Crossing Borders
Afghanistan’s interim Interior Ministry claimed that the clash erupted after Pakistani forces opened fire on Taliban forces.
However, the Pakistani officials rejected the Afghan ministry’s statement, claiming that it were the Taliban forces who initiated firing when they were prevented from constructing a checkpoint near the border fence.
Earlier in February this year, the interim Taliban administration closed the crossing border for nearly a week after a fire exchange between forces from both sides.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 crossing points in different locations, including the two vital crossing points, Torkham and Chaman. Torkham connects Nangarhar province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while the Chaman border connects Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province to the Baluchistan province of Pakistan.
Both the significant borders witnessed clashes for a number of times with no improvement in the situation despite the Interim Afghan Taliban retook charge in Kabul in August 2021.
In one of the clashes last December between the two sides, six Pakistani civilians were killed along the Chaman border.
In other incident in Kalash area Chitral District (KP Province) on Wednesday, at least four Pakistan soldiers and 12 militants were killed, after militants from the Afghanistan side attacked on security personnel, followed by a clash between militants and Pakistani forces.
