Iranian Forces, Taliban Exchange Fire at Border

Iran

December 2nd, 6:22am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Taliban forces patrol near the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Stringe

An exchange of fire erupted Wednesday between Iranian forces and Afghanistan's Taliban at Iran's eastern border, local media reported. "A clash erupted in the afternoon between Iranian border guards and the Taliban following a misunderstanding at the border near the (Afghan) province of Nimroz," Iran's Tasnim news agency said. Iran, which shares a 900 kilometer border with Afghanistan, does not recognize the Taliban government formed after the insurgents seized the capital Kabul in August. AFP quoted the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, as saying that a "border dispute between residents" of the area had triggered the incident, without referring to the Taliban. "The situation has been resolved. Shooting stopped after contact between border guards of the two countries," he said in a statement. Tasnim reported that "Iranian farmers passed beyond the protective walls erected within Iran, and the Taliban reacted by deeming that their border had been breached". The Taliban opened fire and Iranian forces responded, it said. In late October, Tehran called on the Taliban to adopt a "friendly" approach towards their neighbors, in a meeting of six of countries that share borders with Afghanistan.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3336751/iranian-forces-taliban-exchange-fire-border