World News | Residents Flee Border Area as Afghan, Pakistani Forces Clash over Crossing Closure
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Residents have fled a border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan after forces from both sides clashed into the early hours of Tuesday, a Pakistani official said.
Peshawar, Mar 4 (AP) Residents have fled a border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan after forces from both sides clashed into the early hours of Tuesday, a Pakistani official said.
It's the second consecutive day of tit-for-tat gunfire at Torkham, a key crossing between the two countries that has been closed since February 21 because of a dispute between the two neighbours.
The Pakistani official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak with the media, said that gunfire overnight Monday spread fear and panic among residents.
They fled to safer locations as security forces on both sides shot at each other with light and heavy weapons.
“The situation remains tense and security is on high alert,” the official said. Three Pakistani security personnel were wounded in the latest clash. There were no civilian casualties.
In Kabul, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said Tuesday that authorities would continue their efforts to resolve the issue through talks.
Both countries have in the past closed Torkham and the southwestern Chaman border crossing, most often over deadly shootings and crossfire. The crossings are vital for trade and travel between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)