The Torkham border crossing, a critical nexus for transport and trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, was forcibly shut down on Wednesday amid clashes between the security forces of both nations, according to security insiders.
Inhabitants in the vicinity conveyed hearing gunfire around the bustling Torkham terminal, noting that people in the bustling border region near the Khyber Pass hastily evacuated the area when the skirmish was initiated. Security representatives in the region, maintaining confidentiality, reported an exchange of gunfire between Taliban and Pakistani forces, although no casualties have been confirmed so far.
Representatives from Afghanistan’s local government in the Nangahar province, where the border post is situated, and a representative from Pakistan’s foreign affairs department, remained unavailable for immediate remarks.
The contentious 2,600 km (1,615 miles) boundary has been a recurring discord between the two neighbouring countries for several years. Recent times have witnessed multiple closures of the crossing, including an incident in February which resulted in a massive jam of trucks bearing goods, stranded at both ends of the border for a prolonged period.
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