ISLAMABAD– Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces exchanged cross-border fire near a key crossing in the northwest, killing a woman and two children on the Afghan side of the border, officials said Tuesday.
There was no immediate information on casualties on the Pakistani side of the Torkham border, which was closed, disrupting trade and the movement of people between the two countries, local Pakistani official Zahid Khan said.
Torkham, a key border crossing, is situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwestern Pakistan.
It was not clear who initiated the attack, although such cross-border fire is common along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In the past, both sides closed Torkham and also Pakistan’s southwestern Chaman border crossing for various reasons. Both crossings are vital for trade and travel to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In Kabul, Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, said the clash took place on Monday and accused Pakistani forces of attacking civilians.
He said, “Pakistani forces opened fire on Islamic Emirate forces in Ghorki area, near Durand Line in Torkham area, prompting a response from the Afghan side.”
He said on social media platform X that Afghan forces destroyed two Pakistani border posts during the clashes.
Pakistani officials say the two sides were in contact to defuse tensions.
Local officials in Pakistan said on Tuesday that thousands of people living near the Torkham border fled and were evacuated to safer places on Monday.
Pakistani authorities said trucks carrying perishable items, including vegetables and fruits, were waiting on both sides of the border on Tuesday for the reopening of the Torkham crossing.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were withdrawing from the country after 20 years of war. Like the rest of the world, Pakistan has so far not recognized Afghanistan’s Taliban government. The international community has been cautious about the harsh measures imposed by the Taliban since they took power, especially in restricting the rights of women and minorities.
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Associated Press journalist Riaz Khan contributed to this story from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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