On Tuesday, Taliban authorities accused Pakistani forces of killing three Afghan civilians – a woman and two children – during a clash along the disputed border. The incident, which involved heavy weapons, occurred on Monday near the Torkham border crossing in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. Both sides blamed each other for initiating the confrontation.
This latest exchange of fire is just one example of the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two nations frequently engage in skirmishes, often sparked by disagreements over construction projects near the Durand Line – a 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) frontier established by the British in 1896 and contested by Kabul.
According to Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani, Pakistani forces targeted civilian houses, resulting in the deaths of the woman and two children. Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the spokesman for Afghanistan’s defense ministry, told AFP that the clash was initiated by Pakistan. He explained that Afghan forces were constructing a post along the disputed border when Pakistani soldiers opened fire, leading to a retaliatory response.
On the Pakistani side, a border official at Torkham reported that three Pakistani soldiers sustained injuries during the exchange. He stated that despite repeated warnings and objections from Pakistan, Afghan officials refused to halt the construction project, further escalating tensions.
Pakistani officials have not publicly responded to accusations that three Afghan civilians were killed. However, border tensions between the two countries have been escalating since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has accused militant groups operating in Afghanistan of launching regular attacks on Pakistani territory, while the Taliban government denies harboring Pakistani militants. The Taliban also expressed anger over Pakistan’s construction of a fence along the Durand Line.
The Torkham border crossing was closed following the clash. The incident highlights the complex and volatile situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where ongoing disagreements and suspicions continue to fuel tensions between the two neighboring nations.
