A crucial border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened on Sunday, days after some security clash, killing at least three people.
Since the Taliban retook control in August of last year, tensions between the neighbors have increased, with Pakistan accusing militant groups of preparing cross-border strikes from Afghan land.
The Taliban deny hosting Pakistani terrorists, but they are enraged by a fence being built by Islamabad along their 2,700-kilometer (1,600-mile) border, known as the Durand Line, which was drawn up during colonial times. A spokesman for Pakistan’s paramilitary border force said that the border has reopened for all kinds of business.
It occurred after successful talks between Pakistani officials and the governor of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, according to a security source. The governor’s spokesman, Mahmood Azaam, verified that it had reopened.
Locals said light and heavy firearms were used in the confrontations at the Chaman-Spin Boldak border on Thursday, and each side accused the other. Traders, Afghans seeking medical care in Pakistan, and those visiting relatives are among the thousands that cross the border every day.