Iran-afghanistan border calm after reports of dispute
An Iranian border police commander said that calm prevails along the common border with Afghanistan following reports of a skirmish between Iranian and Taliban forces.
Commenting about the reports of a dispute between Iranian and Afghan border guards and the temporary closure of a border crossing, Commander of Taybad Border Regiment Colonel Mohammad Cheragh said the Taliban border forces had “faced ambiguities” because of unfamiliarity with the border laws and regulations, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Following the negotiations between the border guards of Iran and Afghanistan, it was agreed that the experts on border issues from the two sides would address the case in order to clarify matters and resolve the ambiguities, the commander said.
“Calm prevails at the common border between Iran and Afghanistan with the prospect for peace and friendship,” he stated.
The colonel also underlined that the Iranian border forces are fully prepared to ensure security along the boundaries.
Media reports suggested on Saturday that the disagreement between the two sides emerged when the Taliban wanted to build a road near the Islam Qala-dogarun border crossing.
Iran temporarily closed its main border crossing with Afghanistan over Afghanistan’s uncoordinated move to build a road along the frontier, Press TV reported.
Islam Qala-dogarun border crossing, located 18 kilometers off the eastern Iranian border with Afghanistan, had been closed since earlier on Saturday.
The closure came after reports suggested that Iranian border guards had entered the Afghan territory to stop the construction of a road that authorities said had not been coordinated with the Iranian side.
Iranian president’s special envoy to Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Ghomi said that Iran had submitted a protest to the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior to inform the group that any construction project near the border needed the approval of a joint border committee.
Kazemi Ghomi rejected reports about clashes on the border between Iranian and Afghan forces and said that the Iranian border guards had intervened in the construction operation to prevent the violation of the frontier.
Dogarun is the main trade gateway between Iran and Afghanistan. It has seen a surge in shipments crossing from Iran into Afghanistan in recent months.
Government figures show that Afghanistan has remained one of five main importers of Iranian goods even after the rise of the Taliban in August.