ISLAMABAD: The local Taliban members and Afghan security forces have purportedly removed a section of razor wire fence along Pakistan-Afghanistan international border in parts of the country’s Nangarhar province.
Two different videos went viral late on Tuesday night, in which the Taliban members along with Afghan border forces can be seen dismantling the fence from along the Pakistan-Afghan border in parts of Nangarhar province after an apparent verbal war with Pakistani security forces.
In one of the videos, a local Taliban member who was accompanied by Afghan security forces, engaged in a war of words with Pakistani security personnel threatening them of “dire consequences if they were ever again seen in the area” they claimed was part of Afghanistan.
“This would be my last warning, the border post occupied by you has not been built on your [Pakistan] area, and if you ever step in here again, I swear, we will fight you as we battle the Jews,” a local Taliban leader was heard, threatening Pakistani border security personnel while other Taliban members were chanting “Allah o Akbar” – Allah is the Greatest.
In a second video, some Taliban members and Afghan security forces were seen dismantling the fence from an identified place along Pakistan-Afghan border. Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar was not available for comments on the matter and to verify the veracity of the incident, which happened days after a suspected drone attack hit a house in Chawgam village in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, apparently targeting senior leader of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Molvi Faqeer Mohammad, but the missile reportedly failed to explode.
A diplomatic source, while speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Taliban are not happy with the attack in Kunar which they blame on Pakistan and describe it as a “breach of Afghanistan’s sovereignty”. “But, the concerned authorities on both sides [Pakistan and Afghanistan] are in touch both in Kabul as well as at Torkham border crossing to resolve the matter amicably,” he added.
Pakistan has almost completed fencing of the porous border along Afghanistan aimed at preventing terrorism, smuggling, and illegal immigration and cross border infiltration of the militants.
As part of the country’s border management mechanism, Pakistan started work on fencing of the approximately 2,670 kilometres porous border with Afghanistan in 2017 when militants repeatedly launched cross-border attacks on Pakistani posts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021