Afghan Troops Destroy Pakistan Border Checkpoints, Sparking Clashes

Afghan Officials Demand Removal of All Border Outposts

Tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have spilled over again near the Khyber Pass today, when Afghan troops began destroying Pakistani border checkpoints before being attacked by Pakistani troops.

The skirmish reportedly didn’t lead to any “serious” casualties on either side. It is the second clash over border posts in the past week, after last week’s incident left an Afghan policeman killed and two Pakistani soldiers wounded.

Afghan officials responded to today’s clash with an official protest against Pakistan, demanding that they unilaterally remove all border outposts along the Durand Line in the region.

The issue is that Afghanistan doesn’t recognize the border between the two nations, established in a 1893 agreement with Britain, and contains to maintain that a large portion of Pakistan is secretly theirs.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.