Pakistani and Afghan security forces clashed on Monday at the recently closed main border crossing between the two countries, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries.
The conflict reportedly erupted on the first working day of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, a period when food imports from Pakistan typically peak in Afghanistan, which is grappling with a humanitarian and hunger crisis.
It was reported that the 10-day closure of the Torkham border crossing has left thousands of trucks carrying essential goods stranded.
The Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry stated on Monday that the latest exchange of fire occurred overnight, confirming that one Taliban fighter had been killed and two others injured.
Pakistan’s foreign office has yet to comment on the incident.
Relations between the neighbouring countries remain strained, with Pakistan alleging that several Islamist militant attacks on its territory have been launched from Afghan soil, a claim the Taliban denies.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qaniee stated that this week’s clashes had been resolved but did not clarify whether the border crossing would now reopen.