Iranian border forces and Taliban fighters clashed—for the first since the group’s return to power— along the border for several hours in the western Nimroz province in Afghanistan, media reports said. No side confirmed the causalities during the clashes. 

Tension had been building up for several weeks along the Afghan-Iranian border which saw a continued influx of Afghan refugees. Taliban fighters, mostly locals from the region, were reportedly unhappy with the rude treatment meted out to Afghan refugees by Iranian border forces, local journalists tweeted. 

Taliban’s deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi confirmed the incident without revealing the exact cause. TOLOnews reported that Taliban fighters had captured five Iranian border posts,  a claim Iranian officials rejected. 

Confirming the incident, Iranian officials said clashes happened over a “border misunderstanding.”

“The clashes ended and Iran is discussing the dispute over the border with the Taliban," Tasmin news agency claimed. 

Iran, which in the 1990s, saw the Taliban as its enemy, has been attempting to have friendly relations with the militant group during its second tenure. Tehran had even reportedly supported a section of the Taliban faction in fighting the Americans. However, its overall relations with the Taliban remain complex— mainly due to the rise of the Haqqanis, which is close to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. 

(SAM)