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Iran, Taliban forces clash, 1 Afghan border guard dead

July 31, 2022

While both sides accused the other of firing first, the Taliban said one of their border officers was killed and another wounded.

https://p.dw.com/p/4EvOx
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the entrance gate of Afghan-Iran border crossing bridge in Zaranj
A Taliban border guard photographed earlier this year near where clashes took place SundayImage: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

Border guards from Iran and Taliban forces in Afghanistan clashed Sunday, with the Taliban confirming one death and another border official wounded.

Both Teheran and the Taliban blamed each other for opening fire first.

Meisam Barazandeh, the governor of Iran's eastern county of Hirmand, was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying that "the conflict was brief and has ended."

What do we know about the incident?

The Iranian state-run Fars news agency reported the clashes occurred on the Iranian side of the border, in the Shaghalak area of Hirmand country, in the southeastern part of Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Barazandeh said that "our forces gave the necessary response," and noted there were "no casualties" on the Iranian side.

The Iranian state-run Tasnim news agency said that Taliban forces shot at houses in the village of Dust Mohammad. This led to an exchange of fire lasting "for several minutes."

According to Iranian media, the exchange of fire came when Taliban forces attempted to raise a Taliban flag in an area that is not part of the territory of Afghanistan.

Local sources told the Reuters news agency tjay people who reside near the border on the Afghan side fled as the clashes intensified.

The information center for the Nimroz province in Afghanistan blamed the incident on Iranian border guards. In a statement, it said, "Iranian border forces fired at a patrol of our border forces in Kang district of Nimroz province."

Last month, Teheran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported an Iranian border guard had died following an "incident" at a border crossing with Afghanistan. That incident also occurred in Sistan-Baluchestan.

ar/fb (AFP, AP, Reuters)