Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: The US has appealed Afghanistan and Pakistan to reduce ongoing tension following the recent skirmishes at Torkham border gate which resulted in causalities on both sides.
“I could tell you we are all watching the tensions very closely, that we are in touch with officials on both sides,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.
He was responding to questions on tension between the two South Asian neighbors in aftermath of the cross firing across the Durand Line.
“We continue to urge a calm resolution to the tension. We obviously don’t want to see clashes; we don’t want to see violence; we don’t want to see it get worse,” Kirby said.
Clashes between Afghan border police and Pakistani paramilitary forces have entered the fourth day, with latest one, on Tuesday night, lasting two hours. The clash began after Pakistani troops struggled to build a gate inside the Afghan soil. Three Afghan border police and two civilians have been killed in the skirmishes so far. One senior Pakistani officer was killed where tens of others were received injures. However, reports regarding Pakistani soldier’s casualties have not been released yet.
Moreover, a senior Pakhtun nationalist leader Asfandyar Wali Khan called on the two countries to exercise extreme cautions to put an end to the skirmishes through dialogues.
Wali Khan who is the Head of Awami National Party also voice concern over clashes erupted between border forces of the two countries.
He warned that civilians would be the most victims of this conflict if the situation remains intact.
