SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Clashes erupted between Iran’s border guards and Afghanistan’s Taliban over a “border misunderstanding ended, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.
Iranian security forces and Taliban fighters clashed in a gun battle over a “misunderstanding” related to a border wall on the Iran-Afghanistan border, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The incident near the Afghan district of Shaghalak in Nimroz province had ended, it said, citing an unnamed official.
Tasnim reported that the Taliban fighters were first to open fire on an Iranian border post.
“The clashed ended and Iran is discussing the dispute over the border with the Taliban,” Tasnim said.
Taliban’s deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi confirmed the incident that took place but declining to provide further details, Afghan television station Tolo news quoted him as saying.
“He said the clashes had stopped and did not provide information about their cause,” the station said in a tweet.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said a “border dispute between residents” of the area triggered the incident.
“The situation has been resolved. Shooting stopped after contact between border guards of the two countries,” he added.
Although the Iranian government has had generally good relations with the Taliban, there have been longstanding tensions along the border, which has active smuggling routes and thousands of refugees crossing every day, according to Reuters.
Iran, which shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Afghanistan, does not recognize the Taliban government formed after the insurgents seized the capital Kabul in August.
(Esta Media Network/Agencies)
