Afghan Govt, Taliban Both Claim Control of Key Border Crossing

The status of one of the main border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains up in the air today, with the government and Taliban both claiming to be in control after days of fighting.

The Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing is the second busiest between the nations, and fell to the Taliban Wednesday. That’s not shocking, as the crossing is deep in territory the Taliban has long had a presence in.

The crossing is economically important, so it’s also no surprise the government launched a counter-attack. That’s where things get a lot less certain, as each side is claiming they won Thursday’s fight.

Adding to the uncertainty, Pakistan has closed the Chaman side of the border, reportedly fearing spillover violence. The Taliban says they hold the Spin Boldak side, and dismissed government claims of recovering it as “propaganda.”

For now there’s no way to tell who controls the Afghan side of the border, and with the crossing closed by Pakistan pending a resolution, it doesn’t so much matter who is holding it now as who will be holding it in a few days.