Published September 07,2023
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A key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed to all visitors for the second day on Thursday following a conflict between the 2 international locations’ forces.
The Pakistan Army and Afghan Taliban forces exchanged heavy hearth on Wednesday, ensuing within the closure of the Torkham border, the principle level of transit for vacationers and items between the 2 neighboring international locations. Torkham border is simply 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Yes, the border remains closed as of yesterday, and efforts are being made to resolve the issue and defuse tensions,” a Pakistani safety officer advised Anadolu on situation of anonymity as he was not approved to talk with the media.
Afghanistan’s interim Interior Ministry claimed that the conflict erupted after Pakistani forces opened hearth on Taliban forces.
However, the Pakistani official refuted the Afghan ministry’s assertion, claiming that the Taliban forces initiated the fireplace once they had been prevented from setting up a checkpoint close to the border fence.
Earlier in February, the interim Taliban administration shut down the Torkham border, which connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, for almost every week after a fireplace change.
Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan share 18 crossing factors, the busiest of that are the Torkham and Chaman, which join Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province with Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province.
Clashes between the 2 border troops have lengthy been happening, and there have been no respites even after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021.
Last December, not less than six Pakistani civilians had been killed in an change of heavy hearth alongside the Chaman border.
On Wednesday, not less than 4 Pakistan troopers and 12 militants had been killed in a conflict close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan within the northwestern Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in keeping with a Pakistan Army assertion.
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terrorist assaults for the reason that Taliban returned to energy in Afghanistan in 2021.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants, a cost the latter denies.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
