Pakistani and Afghan forces clash at vital border crossing

Al Jazeera

03-03-2025

At least one person has been killed as Pakistani and Afghan security forces have traded fire at the recently closed main border crossing between the two countries.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs confirmed on Monday that one member of its security forces had been killed and two injured in the overnight clashes at the Torkham crossing, a vital transit point that Pakistan closed last month after disputing its neighbour's construction of a new border post.
Two Pakistani security officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the news agency Reuters that members of their security forces had been wounded in the clashes.
The conflict erupted on the first working day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan. The fighting stranded about 5,000 trucks filled with essential goods on both sides of the border in harsh winter conditions.
The conflict could exacerbate the challenges confronting the crisis-hit Afghan economy at a time when millions of people are at risk of hunger and about half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations.
In the past, both countries have closed Torkham and the southwestern Chaman border crossing after deadly shootings and crossfire.
Pakistan said it faces attacks from Afghan soil – a charge the Taliban government denies. In December, Pakistani military aircraft carried out strikes that killed dozens of people on Afghan territory.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Kabul, accused Pakistan on Monday of initiating the overnight violence, after which Afghan security forces went into 'defensive mode' and responded after attempts at dialogue failed.
A Pakistani official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the Taliban opened fire unprovoked, targeting Pakistan's border post with automatic weapons. Pakistani personnel returned fire, the official said.
So far, the closure of Torkham has caused at least $15m in losses, according to Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan's Khyber district, where the crossing is located.
Shakirullah Safi, the chief executive of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment in Afghanistan, said Afghan traders were losing $500,000 a day because of the closure.