Taliban forces in Afghanistan suspend construction of fence by Pakistani troops on border, two said Afghanistan officials.
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Despite Kabul’s resistance, Pakistan has built a fence over most of its 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan in recent years.
A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense said Taliban forces had stopped the Pakistani army on Sunday from installing an “illegal” fence along the Nangarhar province’s border with Pakistan. He did not pay much attention to the incident and said that the situation was normal. The Pakistani army has not commented.
A video circulating on social media shows that Taliban soldiers have confiscated barbed wire coils and an official warns Pakistani soldiers not to try to re-fence security posts. Reuters failed to authenticate this video. A Taliban spokesman said he was investigating the incident.
#Breaking:???? Afghan Taliban tore down border fencing built by Pakistan Army along disputed Durand line (Nangarhar province). pic.twitter.com/rTZAWS7uLv
— OSINT Updates ???? (@OsintUpdates) December 20, 2021
Taliban and Pakistani forces met face to face with the incident, two Taliban officials told the news agency, adding that the situation was tense. Officials added that after the incident on Wednesday further north, Pakistani forces fired at the border with minesweepers. It is not yet known whether the two incidents are related. Officials said Afghan army helicopters had patrolled the region.
The construction of the border fence was the main reason for the deterioration of Pakistan’s relations with the former West-backed Afghan government. Recent incidents show that this is still a contentious issue, even though the Taliban have close relations with Islamabad.
Foreign governments have long believed Pakistan supports the Taliban, which Islamabad denies.
The border between the two countries was blurred until Pakistan began building a fence four years ago, 90% of which has been completed.
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