Afghanistan-Pakistan's Main Border Crossing Was Closed, Residents Reported There Were Gunshots

Illustration of Pakistan's border atmosphere with the Taliban at the gates of Torkham. (Wikimedia Commons/US Army/Master Sigt. Michael O'Connor)

JAKARTA - The main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan closed on Monday, officials from the two countries said, while residents in the area reported gunshots near border transit points that were usually crowded.

It was not immediately clear whether Afghan or Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham border crossing near the Khyber Pass, but this came after relations between the Taliban in power in Afghanistan and Pakistan drastically deteriorated.

"The border is closed, we will share the details later," a spokesman for the Taliban government police in eastern Afghanistan's Nangahar Province told Reuters.

Media reported the main border crossing closed on Sunday evening, but gave no reason.

Meanwhile, military spokesmans, Pakistani police and government could not immediately be questioned, but two Pakistani security officials in the region confirmed the border had been closed and several gunfights occurred.

Torkham's border point is a major transit point for travelers and goods, which connects mainlandly confined Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mohammad Ali Shinwari, a resident of Landi Kotal on the Pakistani side, said the border had closed on Sunday evening and gunshots heard on Monday.

"When we heard gunshots in the morning, we became worried and believed that troops from both countries may have started fighting," he said.

It is known that disputes related to the border of 2,600 km (1,615 miles) have occurred between the two countries for decades.

Meanwhile, clashes on the border have been going on for years, over two decades the US-backed government of the Afghan government, and since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.

In addition, clashes between Afghan and Pakistani security forces also sometimes close the second most important crossing between the two countries located in Chaman, in the southern region.

Separately, Pakistan's Foreign Minister said at a security conference in Germany on Sunday the risk of militancy originating from Afghan soil could affect the world.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Taliban Foreign Ministry said that in the future Pakistan should raise these issues privately and not in public forums.

The Foreign Ministry said the Taliban government would not allow its territory to be used against other countries, especially against neighboring countries.