Key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopens

A soldier of Afghan Taliban forces patrols on the vicinity of Torkham border of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.

A key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan that remained closed for three days following skirmishes has reopened, an official said on Thursday.

The Torkham border, which connects Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, was shut down on Monday after skirmishes between border security forces of the two countries.

"The border has reopened this morning for travelers and transport after remaining closed for three days," Abdullah Khan, a local Pakistani official at the border, told Anadolu.

The closure of the Torkham border, one of the two main crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has caused heavy losses to already depreciating trade between the two neighbors, as Torkham is one of the busiest trade routes between Islamabad and Kabul.

The trade volume between landlocked Afghanistan and its southern neighbor has been mostly affected by terrorist attacks in Pakistan that Islamabad blames on Afghanistan-based militants, leading to the closure of border crossings.

On Tuesday, Zabihullah Mujahid, a chief spokesperson for the interim Afghan government, said they are investigating reports of Pakistani fighter jets violating Afghan airspace while patrolling.

His statement came after a clash between the security forces of two neighbors near the Torkham border and unconfirmed reports of Pakistani fighter jets patrolling the airspace of Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar province.

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