Pakistan closes Torkham crossing

The Taliban appeared to be blocking access to a key crossing point with Pakistan Thursday, as Afghans who have given up on evacuation flights try to escape by land.

The Torkham crossing, which lies 290 km from Kabul on a direct road to the border, is one of the nearest land routes out of the country for those who are unable to flee via the airport.

But there were no reports of Afghans gathering on the Afghan side of the border, suggesting that the Taliban were preventing people from approaching the frontier.

“Taliban soldiers are very strict and don’t permit Afghans to come near the border. Taliban want to keep the people inside and give a message to the world that the country is safe,” said a senior Pakistani border official, speaking to The Daily Telegraph.

Pakistani border officials also said the crossing at Torkham had been sealed off because the country did not wish to take in any more refugees.

“We have closed the border on the government’s directives because Pakistan cannot afford to house more refugees. Pakistan is already home to three million Afghans,” the border official said.

Chaman, another major crossing with Pakistan, is more than 590 km from Kabul by road but has seen a reported fourfold increase in the number of people trying to cross since the Taliban took control of Kabul. “There was uncertainty, I therefore entered Pakistan,” said Muhammad Usman, a resident of Jalalabad who was unable to cross at Torkham and took the longer route to cross at Chaman. He said he was going to the Pakistani city of Peshawar where he grew up. “They did not allow us to enter through Jalalabad,” he said. “I have a proof of registration card issued to Afghan refugees in Pakistan,” Mr Usman said.

The Taliban’s reluctance to allow Afghan interpreters and others who worked with Western forces is partly linked to fears that it will lead to a brain drain.

“We ask them to stop this process. We urge the Americans not to push skilled Afghans to go … We need their talent,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said.