Clashes on the southwest border between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Clashes were reported on the southwest border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to a Pakistani television channel. Security sources said, on condition of anonymity, that tensions erupted that morning in the Nushki region, which connects Pakistan’s Balochistan province to Afghanistan.

The confrontation began as Pakistani border guards were carrying out repairs to the border fence. The same sources said that Afghan border guards, accused of initiating the shooting, suffered “heavy” losses. So far, no official response has come from Afghanistan.

It should be noted that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a recurring point of tension, despite the Taliban takeover in Kabul in August 2021. The two countries share 18 crossing points, among which Torkham and Chaman are the more frequented.

Afghanistan does not recognize the Durand Line, considered the de facto border, citing that it was originally established by the United Kingdom to divide the Pashtun ethnic group. Pakistan, on the other hand, considers this line a permanent border, a 2,640-kilometre route established in 1893 in an agreement between British colonial India and Afghan ruler Abdur Rahman Khan.