Pakistan-Afghanistan border closes again after fresh clashes

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border was closed again Friday, a day after briefly reopening to allow the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals, as fresh clashes erupted between the two sides, officials said.

Security sources said the Torkham border crossing in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was shut over security concerns after Afghan forces reportedly opened fire overnight on the Awal Khan post near the frontier.

Local residents were advised to avoid border areas and limit movement in surrounding locations as a precautionary measure, according to the sources.

The Torkham crossing, one of the main transit points between Pakistan and Afghanistan, had reopened a day earlier to facilitate the return of undocumented Afghans following a month of clashes.

“Around 250 individuals were returned after completing legal formalities before the crossing was shut again,” the sources said.

Two days earlier, Pakistan confirmed the resumption of military operations, referred to as “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” against militant groups in Afghanistan after a temporary ceasefire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Pakistan launched the military action on Feb. 26, triggering heavy exchanges of gunfire between the two sides and the closure of border crossings for Afghan returnees.

Islamabad has repeatedly alleged that militants operate from Afghan territory, a claim that Kabul has firmly denied.

Tensions between the neighbors intensified after explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9 last year triggered retaliatory attacks by Taliban forces along the Pakistan border, according to officials.

The violence caused casualties, damaged infrastructure and led to the closure of border crossings on Oct. 12, disrupting trade between the two countries.

Since then, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led authorities have held multiple rounds of talks in Qatar and Turkey, but efforts to reach a lasting resolution have so far failed.