Taliban, Pak security forces clash over Durand line

Amid border tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the Durand line, spokesperson of the Taliban has said that fresh clashes between the security forces of the two countries have been reported in Paktia province, as per local media.

Amid border tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the Durand line, spokesperson of the Taliban has said that fresh clashes between the security forces of the two countries have been reported in Paktia province, as per local media. Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesman of the Taliban said as quoted by Tolo News.

The clashes took place in the Dand Patan area of the province, as per the Afghan media outlet. Writing on social media as per Tolo News, Karimi said that military facilities should not be built close to the Durand Line "in principle," and, added that on Tuesday the Pakistani military sought to build an outpost there.

Meanwhile, footage of the Taliban forces driving into Pakistan's side of the Durand line surfaced on social media. Taliban members went to talk to the Pakistani side but the other side opened fire which caused casualties, Karimi said, as per Tolo News.

While the media affairs wing of the Pakistan military after the incident on Tuesday said that three Pakistani soldiers were killed in firing by "terrorists from inside Afghanistan" in the general area of Kharlachi, Kurram tribal district, Dawn reported. "Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that Afghan government will not allow conduct of such activities in future," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said, as per the Pakistani publication.

Till May 1 this year, there have been around 40 clashes along the Durand Line most of which pertain to the border dispute. More than 40 people died when rockets were fired from Pakistan Air Force (PAF) helicopters in Kunar, Khost, Paktika and other bordering provinces on April 16, 2022. The Durand Line passes through the present-day Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan. It also includes 10 provinces in Afghanistan. Disputed in the context of the struggle for the Pashtun homeland, the Durand Line has of late become the cause of heightened border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)