A senior Pakistani official told Agence France-Presse that the main Torkham crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reopened to pedestrians and vehicles on Friday morning, a week after it was closed due to an armed clash that broke out between the border guards of the two countries.
Irshad Khan Muhammad, Deputy Governor of Khyber Province, said, "Truck clearance operations are underway, and Afghan citizens are returning to Afghanistan after clearing their documents and immigration procedures."
On the morning of September 6, armed clashes broke out at this crossing between Pakistani border guard forces and their Afghan counterparts, which led to its closure.
"Torkham" is the most active border crossing for commercial movement between the two countries.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, tensions have escalated on the border between the two countries, as Islamabad accuses militant groups of planning to launch attacks in Pakistan from Afghan territory.
Repeated border clashes contributed to the exacerbation of diplomatic tension between the two countries.
These clashes often end with the border crossings being closed for a period of time and then reopened.
The clashes broke out after Afghan forces attempted to establish a checkpoint in an area where Islamabad says it had agreed with Kabul not to establish checkpoints.
The Torkham border crossing is one of the most important points of trade exchange between the two countries, as Afghanistan exports coal through it and imports food and some other supplies from Pakistan.
In February, the Afghan authorities closed the Torkham crossing after the Pakistani side imposed new rules on those accompanying patients. Then an exchange of fire took place between border guards from both sides, with each party holding the other responsible.
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