KABUL: Clashes erupted on Saturday between Taliban forces and Iranian troops at the Afghan-Iranian border, resulting in the deaths of two individuals, according to the Taliban.
The incident occurred amid a dispute between the neighboring countries over water rights. Iranian authorities confirmed the clash but did not provide specific details about the casualties. Both sides have accused each other of initiating the gunfire.
The Taliban’s interior ministry spokesman, Abdul Nafy Takor, tweeted that one person was killed on each side and several others sustained injuries during the clash in the southwestern province of Nimroz.
The incident has been reported to the leadership of both sides, and the situation is currently under control, stated the Taliban spokesperson. The Taliban, referring to their government as the Islamic Emirate, emphasized that they do not seek war with their neighbor.
Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted Qassem Rezaee, the deputy head of the police force, stating that Taliban forces initiated the shooting using various weapons at an Iranian police station in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
Tasnim news agency reported the use of light and semi-light weapons, as well as artillery, during the clashes. The incident comes amid recent tensions between Iran and Afghanistan over a water dispute.
Iran Does Not Recognize Afghan Government in Kabul
The diplomatic relations between Tehran and Kabul exist, but Iran does not recognize the Afghan government in Kabul. The water dispute has further strained the relationship between the two countries.
Iran has accused Afghanistan of violating its “water rights” by constructing an upstream river dam that restricts the flow into Lake Hamoun, which spans their shared border. Afghan officials attribute the reduced river volumes to climatic factors.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Afghanistan during his visit to drought-affected southeastern Iran on May 18, urging the rulers of Afghanistan to promptly grant water rights to the people of Sistan-Baluchistan.
Iran contends that its share of water was legally determined in a 1973 agreement between the two countries and insists that the Taliban leaders uphold the accord. Tehran has also stated that it reserves the right to take action to settle the dispute.
Simultaneously with the border clashes, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi held a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, in Kabul.
The two discussed the coordinated management of the border, as well as the assurance of Iran’s rights regarding the Helmand River’s waters, according to a statement from Afghanistan’s foreign ministry.
