Pakistan Shuts Down Border Crossing With Afghanistan After Both Sides Exchange Fire

The Pakistan Afghan friendship gate Chaman city is a connector between Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar. Image | Zareefkhann, Wikipedia | CC-BY-4.0 | Donald Standeford.

By Donald Standeford, SJ Founder/Publisher
November 17, 2022 11:41 am UTC
Modified: 2022-11-17 11:41 am

MIDDLE EAST - Pakistan has shut down its southwestern border with Afghanistan for an "indefinite period," according to both officials and local media on Monday. 

The Chaman border also called the Friendship Gate is a connector between Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar and is now closed after an armed Afghani citizen crossed into Pakistan through the border and fired on Pakistani security personnel on Sunday.

As a result of the attack, one Pakistani soldier was killed and two others were injured, according to the Afghanistan Times.

Pakistani and Afghani border troops exchanged fire for hours after the attack, which ultimately led to the trade border between Pakistan and Afghanistan being closed off indefinitely.

A Pakistani security official told Anadolu Agency, “The two sides are holding another round of flagship meeting today (Monday) to resolve the issue as we stick to our demand of handing over of the attacker".

"The Afghan officials have informed us that a search operation is underway to nab the attacker, who is still at large,” the security official added.

Geo News aired a video showing several hundred trucks and vehicles lined up at the border on both sides waiting to get in, some loaded with trade goods waiting for the border crossing to open back up.