Torkham border closed after firing

LANDIKOTAL: The Torkham border crossing was closed after an exchange of heavy fire over the construction of a bunker atop the hills by Afghan security forces on Monday, sources said.

The sources said that Afghan border forces were constructing the bunker near the border. They said the Pakistani border forces had complained repeatedly about the construction of the bunker.

“On Monday evening when Pakistani border authorities asked the Afghan officials to stop the construction work on the bunker near the international border, the Afghan forces fired shells over the post near the Torkham border,” said an official.

He said a mortar shell landed in Mukhtarkhel village in the hills, however, no damage was caused. Meanwhile, the Torkham border was closed for all kinds of movement from and to Afghanistan.

The Afghan side of the Torkham was also vacated by Afghan border authorities to avoid human losses. Residents in Bacha Mina village adjacent to the Torkham border vacated homes and moved towards Landikotal, eyewitnesses said.

Hundreds of loaded and empty trucks on both sides of the Torkham were stranded due to the fresh conflict, causing huge losses to traders and transporters. When contacted, Landikotal Police Station in-charge Amjad Khan Afridi said the firing between the two countries had stopped, adding no casualty was reported.