Islamabad / Peshawar:
The Pakistani security forces and Taliban Afghan fighters exchanged fire in Torkham’s main border crossing in Monday hours, after their failed talks to reopen the crossing, in which at least one Afghan border guard was killed and two other injured.
Four members of Pakistani and civilian staff were also injured during skirmishes, while a civilian died in a stampede caused by heavy shots. A nearby village has also been evacuated due to the dismissal, sources said.
The Torkham border, which has been closed since February 21, warmed up after the talks between the two parties for the reopening of the level passage. Sources have said that the shot continued until the time of the Sehri. There was no official word from Pakistan, but the Afghan Taliban confirmed the skirmishes.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday that the shots had taken place during the night and that a Taliban fighter had been killed and two injured. Pakistani sources said that at least three security staff were injured during the confrontation.
The two neighbors have a tense relationship, Pakistan saying that several terrorist attacks that have occurred in the country were launched from Afghan soil – an accusation that the Taliban deny. Pakistani military planes made strikes that killed dozens on Afghan territory in December.
The last clashes would have started around midnight and would continue intermittently until 6 a.m. During the Afghan attack, a Pakistani mortar post was damaged, while Pakistan retaliated by targeting the jungle post and the Khwar post on the Afghan side.
According to information, a truck driver underwent a heart attack and died in the middle of panic caused by clashes. The latest clashes increased tensions, while Pakistan, in response to clashes, has deployed additional forces to the border.
After the clashes, local sources said, the inhabitants of Bacha Mena, a village near the border, were evacuated to Landi Kotal. Bacha Mena houses the Shinwari Khugakhel tribe, including some Afghan nationals, added the sources. The injured were also transported to the hospital of the Landikotal district headquarters.
The skirmish has occurred just a day after the security officials on both sides have held negotiations on the border, which raises the expectations that the level passage – closed in the past 10 days – could reopen soon. The closure has seriously had an impact on local populations, traders and travelers, causing significant economic losses.
A large number of passengers and freight vehicles remain blocked on the border due to the last dead end which was launched by the attempts of the Afghan authorities to build a control point in a disputed place, leading to the objections of Pakistan and the climbing of subsequent tensions.
Since the Taliban’s interim government took power in Afghanistan, the Pakistani-Afghanistan border has been closed several times, encouraging Afghan merchants to focus on the countries of Central Asia and Iran.
Residents claimed that the tensions of Torkham’s crossing had become a recurring problem, causing frequent closures. The closures have caused major difficulties for merchants, carriers and patients, looking for medical treatment in Pakistan.
According to merchants, around 2,500 trucks and containers were stuck on the Pakistani side due to the current closure. A senior Pakistani official blamed the Afghan government in the current situation while recognizing that the closing of frequent borders was not good to improve trade.
The official said that Pakistan wanted to deepen business links while building new commercial terminals in Torkham and Shaman to improve the goods movement. The reports suggest that the Torkham terminal should be inaugurated by March 25.
“If Pakistan was against trade, why would it improve installation on the border,” asked the official. The official advised the Government of the Afghan Taliban to repair his ways and respond to the real concerns of Pakistan.
Data has shown that Pakistan and Afghanistan trade worth $ 3 million a day – $ 1.6 million with imports and $ 1.4 million in exports – excluding transit figures. The Afghan Chamber of Commerce told L’Express PK Press Club that 10 -day losses against the Pakistani chessboard over $ 27 million.
