Pakistan, Afghan soldiers clash at Khyber Pass

Tension surged between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday as a curfew was imposed in Torkham after a crossfire along the border. Due to the persisting situation, a ban has been imposed on every kind of transportation. The residents of the area have started moving to safer places, security sources said.

The skirmish began when Pakistan placed a gate at Torkham, in a move to curb the flow of illegal movement along the border. Officials said the Afghan forces started “unprovoked firing” that injured a Frontier Corps officer and two Khasadar forces men. In the retaliatory attack by the Pakistani security forces an Afghan check post caught fire, an official said.

The mortar bombs fired by the Afghani forces fell on a locality on the area which injured six people including two children.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, in recent days several militants have been found crossing the Torkham border. “At about 2120 hrs on Sunday Afghan Security forces resorted to unprovoked firing on Pakistani side at Torkham Gate. A Pakistani soldier was injured due to Afghan firing,” said a military statement. After the clash, a curfew was placed in the area for an indefinite period of time. The Torkham bazaar was evacuated and the Pak Afghan Transit trade as well as import and export vehicles were sent back to Peshawar. On Monday, Pakistan summoned Afghan charge d’affaires to lodge protest over cross-border shelling by Afghan troops that injured at least two soldiers and nine civilians including women and children were injured in the incident, the foreign ministry said.

“Today, Afghan Charge d’Affaires was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey Pakistan’s strong protest over unprovoked firing by the Afghan forces at Pakistani forces on Torkham border crossing,” a foreign ministry statement said. “The Afghan Charge d’Affaires was told that the firing incident was contrary to the spirit of friendly relations between Pakistan and Afgha-nistan. The Afghan side was urged to thoroughly investigate the incident and share the findings with Pakistani authorities,” it said.

Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah told his ministers Monday that Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to observe ceasefire along the Torkham border and solve the problem through diplomatic means.

Dr Adullah confirmed that one Afghan border police was killed and six others were injured in clashes. The Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was further emphasised that all steps should be taken for avoiding recurrence of such incidents in the future.

The firing was aimed at disrupting the construction of a gate well inside Pakistani territory at the border which is being constructed to facilitate the cross-border movement of people and vehicles.

“It was conveyed to the Afghan side that the regulation of movements at Torkham is part of government’s policy to strengthen border management. Therefore, Afghan government’s cooperation was needed as it would enhance mutual security and help combat the threat of terrorism,” the spokesman said.

The Afghan foreign ministry said on Monday that it wants to solve border issues with Pakistan through diplomatic channels.