A gunbattle erupted Wednesday between Pakistan and Afghan border forces,officials said, shutting the busiest trade crossing between the two SouthAsian countries.
A local Pakistan police official said firing started at around 1:00 pm(0800 GMT) at the Torkham border crossing, halfway between Islamabad andKabul, with an evacuation ordered.
“It is not clear who is firing but we are receiving fire from both lightand heavy weapons. They are using mortars, too,” said another localgovernment official, adding one border guard had been wounded.
Irshad Mohmand, a local administration official, said the crossing was shutfrom the Pakistan side after a security dispute spiralled. “Afghan forcestried to establish a check post in an area where it is agreed… that bothsides will not establish a check post,” he told AFP.
“After an objection from the Pakistan side, the Afghan forces opened fire,”he said, adding that Pakistan border forces responded with “retaliatoryfire”.
An official on the Afghan side of the border — speaking anonymously –confirmed the dispute started over an outpost built by their border guardsbut said Pakistan’s forces were the first to open fire.
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He also confirmed the border was closed.
The crossing at Torkham is a key trading waypoint, where Afghanistanexports truckloads of coal and receives food and other supplies fromPakistan.
Both nations are in dire economic crisis, with Afghanistan reeling from adrop-off in aid following the end of the US-backed occupation, and Pakistancrippled by a domestic downturn and runaway inflation.
A gunbattle also erupted at the crossing in February after Talibanauthorities ordered the border shut, with both sides blaming the other forstarting the firefight. APP/AFP
