PESHAWAR: The main point of transit for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan, Torkham border crossing, was closed on Wednesday as security forces from both countries exchanged fire, security sources said.
Local residents reported the sound of gunfire by the Torkham crossing and said people around the busy border area near the Khyber Pass had fled once the firing started.
#طورخم کې د ډزو تبادله: سره له دي چې #پاکستانۍ او #افغان چارواکو په طورخم د نن ورځي د ډزو د تبادلي په اړه تر دي وخت رسمي څه نه دي ويلي. خو ويلي کيږې افغان غاړي ته په يوه پوسته جوړولو لانجه رامنځته شوه۔ که علتونه هر څه وي خو د ډزو تبادله د دواړو غاړو ناکامي څرګندوي چې د خبرو pic.twitter.com/zw4aVQqVLW
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) September 6, 2023
Security officials from the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Taliban and Pakistani forces had exchanged fire but there had not yet been any casualties.
Pakistani sources at Torkham, #Khyber district, said Afghan Taliban forces "started firing" at the Torkham border terminal which was "effectively retaliated". They said Torkham border closed fr all kind of traffic. Afghan officials say efforts r underway to resolve the problem.
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) September 6, 2023
A spokesman for the local government in Afghanistan’s Nangahar province, where the crossing is located, and a spokeswoman for Pakistan’s foreign office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
#پاکستان اور #افغانستان کے #طورخم پر دونوں ممالک کے سیکورٹی فورسز کے درمیان فائرنگ کا واقعہ پیش آیا ہے۔ ایک مقامی صحافی محراب @mehrabafridi66 نے پاکستانی حکام کے حوالے سے کہا ہے کہ فائرنگ کے تبادلے میں کسی جانی نقصان کی اطلاع نہیں۔سکیورٹی حکام کا کہنا ہے کہ افغان فورسز سرحدی pic.twitter.com/MruAYMYqz0
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) September 6, 2023
Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615 miles) border have been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades.
#TorkhamBorder clashes: #Afghan Interior Ministry spox @abdulmateenqani & #Maulvi Abdul Baseer #Zabuli, spox fr #Nangarhar province police, have confirmed clashes at Torkham. They blamed #Pakistani forces for initiating firing. Pakistan's official response is awaited, however,
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) September 6, 2023
The crossing has been closed several times in recent years, including a closure in February that saw thousands of trucks laden with goods stranded on each side of the border for days.
