A brief exchange of gunfire occurred late Friday night between Pakistani border forces and the Taliban near the Torkham crossing, two sources confirmed to Amu TV.
According to the sources, Taliban forces initiated the clash, during which a Pakistani border officer was injured. The skirmish was short-lived, and there has been no official comment from the Taliban.
Separately, sources told Amu that the Torkham border crossing was shut down early Saturday due to heavy flooding, halting all movement across the vital trade and travel route between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A look at border tensions
The incident adds to a growing number of border clashes reported between the two sides in recent years.
According to United Nations and Pakistani media reports:
In September 2023, a gun battle at the Torkham crossing led to the closure of the border gate, disrupting commercial and civilian traffic.
On Dec. 11, 2022, gunfire from the Afghan side at the Chaman crossing killed at least six Pakistani civilians. Islamabad responded with retaliatory fire, escalating tensions.
In March 2024, Pakistan launched airstrikes on militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces following insurgent attacks.
In late December 2024, intense fighting was reported in the Dand-e-Patan district and surrounding areas, resulting in multiple military and civilian casualties.
Clashes resumed in early 2025, with artillery and rocket fire exchanged across the Khost, Bajaur, and Kunar regions. UN observers noted that both civilian and military casualties occurred during these encounters.
These cross-border hostilities, often involving heavy weapons and civilian displacement, underscore the volatility of the frontier since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly warned the over Taliban against TTP activities, but the Taliban have denied its presence.
