KABUL, Afghanistan — The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan remained closed for the 19th consecutive day, as negotiations over a Taliban-built military post near the crossing remain unresolved.
Talks were expected to take place on Tuesday to finalize an agreement on reopening the crossing, but the meeting has yet to be held, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Mohammad Younus Momand, a member of the Afghan delegation involved in negotiations, told Amu that he had no information on when the next round of talks would take place. Meanwhile, sources confirmed that the Taliban resumed construction of the disputed border post on Monday.
Tensions over Taliban military post
The closure of the crossing was triggered by a dispute over Taliban efforts to establish a new border outpost, which led to clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces. Pakistani authorities shut down the crossing, and both sides engaged in gunfire, resulting in the reported deaths of three Taliban fighters and injuries to 11 Pakistani border guards.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, has voiced support for the Taliban’s construction of border posts, questioning why Afghanistan should not be allowed to establish similar security structures when Pakistan has its own on the other side.
“The ongoing clashes are happening because Pakistan wants to prevent Afghanistan from building or reinforcing a new border post,” Khalilzad said. “Pakistan has security posts on its side, so why shouldn’t Afghanistan have the same?”
The prolonged closure has inflicted significant financial losses on businesses on both sides of the border, with trade disruptions costing millions of dollars. Despite initial talks between Taliban and Pakistani officials, no resolution has been reached, leaving traders and transporters stranded as tensions persist.
