Taliban seize Torkham border crossing

LANDIKOTAL: After the takeover of Jalalabad city, the Afghan Taliban also took control of Torkham border on Sunday morning and suspended all kinds of movement from and to Pakistan.

Dozens of Afghan Taliban and their leaders reached the Torkham border and fired shots in the air to show their presence. The Pakistan Army also deployed soldiers to avoid any mishap on the border.

As the Taliban reached Torkham, they took over the offices in Torkham at the Afghan side of the border and the Customs house.

Sharifuddin, a Customs clearing agent, told this scribe that the whole setup of the Ashraf Ghani-led government was in control of the anti-Pakistani lobby.

He said the Ashraf Ghani-led government had imposed unfair restrictions on Pakistani businessmen.

Meanwhile, business activities on both sides of the Torkham border remained suspended as Taliban were gradually taking over the Afghan customs, administration and other government offices on the Afghan side of the border.

Taliban governor of Nangarhar province Nida Muhammad Kandahari in a social media message said that those who had any complaint against any Talib fighter could contact him.

He gave his two cellphone numbers on social media to contact him if anyone wanted to register a complaint.

Soon after the Taliban takeover of Torkham and its surrounding localities, the border was reopened after 12 hours and the trucks loaded with fruit and transit goods were allowed to cross the border.

However, the movement of people remained suspended via the Torkham border crossing.

Meanwhile, the Taliban also took control of the Ghulam Khan border crossing in North Waziristan.