Pakistani and Afghan security forces clashed on Monday at the recently shuttered main border crossing between the two countries, killing at least one combatant and injuring several, officials said.
The conflict erupted on the first working day of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan, which is facing a humanitarian and hunger crisis. A 10-day-old closure of the Torkham border point has stranded thousands of trucks filled with essential goods.
The Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday the latest firing took place overnight and that one Taliban fighter had been killed and two injured. Two Pakistani security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that members of the Pakistani security forces had been wounded.
Pakistan's foreign office did not respond to a request for comment.
The neighbouring countries have a strained relationship, with Pakistan saying that several Islamist militant attacks that have occurred there have been launched from Afghan soil - a charge the Taliban deny. Pakistani military aircraft carried out strikes that killed dozens on Afghan territory in December.
Abdul Mateen Qaniee, the Afghan interior ministry spokesperson, said that this week's clashes had been resolved but did not comment on whether the border crossing would now reopen. It has been shut since February 21.
The latest closure, which chamber of commerce officials said was sparked by a dispute over the construction of a border-area outpost, has left 5,000 trucks stranded and traders alarmed at rising losses.
"This is a very serious issue and is badly affecting trade between the two countries," said Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce.
The Torkham crossing is the main transit artery for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Trade between the two countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan's foreign office.
Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan's Khyber district where the Torkham crossing is located, said the closure had caused at least $15 million in losses.
It could exacerbate the challenges confronting the Afghan economy, which has teetered near crisis since the Taliban took over in 2021, leading to a cut in development aid and sanctions affecting the banking sector that has hampered businesses.
Millions of Afghans are at risk of hunger and around half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations.
Pakistan will begin its first freight train service to Russia from Lahore on June 22. The route is part of the INSTC and aims to connect Pakistan's rail network with Central Asia, establishing a new trade corridor via Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
Pakistan is increasing its defense budget by nearly 20%.
Pakistan’s 2025-26 federal budget cuts overall spending by 7% but raises defence expenditure by 20% amid recent conflict with India, aiming to balance economic growth with increased military costs.
Pakistan is set to unveil a trimmed federal budget today, projecting 17.6 trillion rupees ($62.45 billion) in total outlays — a 6.7% decrease from the previous year — while increasing defence spending by about 20%, according to media reports and analysts.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar held a phone call to discuss strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Azerbaijan is facilitating the evacuation of foreign nationals from Iran, a process that has included private citizens and diplomatic staff. The assistance has involved providing transit for Kyrgyz citizens and, subsequently, the staff and families of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Tehran.
China has successfully mastered the technology to produce Yttrium-90, a critical medical isotope used in radiation therapy for liver cancer, within a commercial nuclear reactor.
In a phone call that took place on Donald Trump's 79th birthday, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed ending the "war" in the Middle East and planned prisoner swaps in Ukraine. According to reports, Putin also extended birthday wishes to his U.S. counterpart during the call.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for June 15th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A massive manhunt involving state police and the FBI was in full force Saturday evening for a gunman who posed as a police officer before killing a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband. Governor Tim Walz has described the attack as a "politically motivated assassination."
Pakistan will begin its first freight train service to Russia from Lahore on June 22. The route is part of the INSTC and aims to connect Pakistan's rail network with Central Asia, establishing a new trade corridor via Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
Israeli strikes have reportedly targeted areas near the residences of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the New York Times, citing local witnesses.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned U.S. immigration raids and National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, calling for reforms instead of enforcement.
Israel’s military says it has identified the body of top Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar beneath a hospital in southern Gaza.
An Air India flight with 242 passengers on board crashed in Meghaninagar, close to Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat, on Thursday afternoon.
Azerbaijan is facilitating the evacuation of foreign nationals from Iran, a process that has included private citizens and diplomatic staff. The assistance has involved providing transit for Kyrgyz citizens and, subsequently, the staff and families of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Tehran.
Azerbaijan will not permit any country to use its territory to strike a third party, including Iran, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov tells his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in a phone call on Saturday.
President Donald Trump held a large military parade in Washington on Saturday to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday.
The latest round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, have been canceled. This development follows Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's explicit statement that Tehran refuses to negotiate as long as Israeli attacks persist.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
Azerbaijan is facilitating the evacuation of foreign nationals from Iran, a process that has included private citizens and diplomatic staff. The assistance has involved providing transit for Kyrgyz citizens and, subsequently, the staff and families of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Tehran.
China has successfully mastered the technology to produce Yttrium-90, a critical medical isotope used in radiation therapy for liver cancer, within a commercial nuclear reactor.
In a phone call that took place on Donald Trump's 79th birthday, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed ending the "war" in the Middle East and planned prisoner swaps in Ukraine. According to reports, Putin also extended birthday wishes to his U.S. counterpart during the call.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for June 15th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A massive manhunt involving state police and the FBI was in full force Saturday evening for a gunman who posed as a police officer before killing a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband. Governor Tim Walz has described the attack as a "politically motivated assassination."
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment