Clash between Taliban forces and Iranian border guards.
Taliban forces of Afghanistan have clashed with Iranian border guards on the border between the two countries.
The Taliban say one of their soldiers was killed in Sunday’s fighting, which took place in the border area between Afghanistan’s Nimroz province and Iran’s Hirmand region.
The countries blamed each other for the incident. There have been several border skirmishes since Taliban militants invaded Afghanistan a year ago. The exact circumstances of the latest fight remain unclear.
“We have one killed and one wounded,” Nimroz police spokesman Bahram Haqmal said. In Iran’s Sistan va Baluchestan province, Hirmand official Maysam Barazandeh was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying there were no casualties on the Iranian side.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said fighting broke out after Taliban forces tried to raise their flag “in an area that is not Afghan territory”, leading to an exchange of gunfire that lasted “several minutes”. “Our forces gave the necessary response,” said Barazandeh.
Last month, Iran’s foreign ministry reported the death of an Iranian border guard following another incident in the same area.