Iran, Taliban govt. to form joint committee to end border clashes

The Iranian president’s special representative on Afghanistan’s affairs says a meeting was held with officials of the Taliban defense ministry during which the Afghan side contacted the country’s border guards and asked them to avoid clashes.

According to Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the defense ministry of the Afghan caretaker government also promised to hold a joint committee to make sure such border incidents will not recur.

The latest clashes took place in Hirmand County’s Shoghalak area.

According to Hirmand’s governor, the clashes were triggered by the Taliban forces violating Iranian borders. He said the clashes had no casualties.

Meanwhile, a senior aide to the Iranian foreign minister says the border clashes are rooted in the Taliban forces’ failure to distinguish the border security wall with the international borders.

Rasool Mousavi said on twitter that construction of the security wall within the Iranian territory was a “mistake” and should be immediately addressed, as “tomorrow will be late”.

The security wall was set up by Iran to ward off drugs smuggling and sporadic terrorist activities along the border with Afghanistan.

Part of the Iranian territory, including agricultural lands, fall between the wall and the Afghan border.