Infographic: Taliban Border Clashes With Neighboring States Of Afghanistan
Since the onset of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban-affiliated militants have conducted 26 clashes with Afghanistan neighbors. The armed conflicts have resulted in the death and injury of dozens of civilians as well as border guards from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other neighboring countries.
The main root cause of the Taliban’s border clashes with Afghanistan’s neighbors is that the Taliban militants possess insufficient know-how regarding international border laws and regulations. More importantly, the Taliban rulers do not make any effort to prevent tensions with their neighbor states!
Afghanistan is a landlocked country, which does not have any access to free waters. And the prelude to the establishment of stability and security in such a region is cooperation with neighboring states in order to create appropriate condition for economic and political growth along with issues such as security and stability.
Unfortunately, following five decades of conflict and bloodshed in Afghanistan, the country is still involved in ethnic clashes as well as pursuit of self-interest by powerful individuals and one-dimensional governments. Hence, it can be predicted that the war-torn country has not yet entered a period of stability; so, the second Taliban regime is expected to end up in the fate of previous Afghan governments if it continue the past trend.
The Taliban militants’ border clashes created an environment of insecurity, which extended smuggling and strengthened terrorist groups’ activities in Afghanistan’s border lines more than ever, and this trend is expected to accelerate the Taliban’s downfall. In such circumstances, coordination and the way that Afghanistan’s neighboring states face the Taliban rulers, would play a significant role…
The Taliban militants embarked on at least 26 border clashes with Afghanistan’s neighboring states since their takeover of the war-stricken country in 2021. Of the total number of border clashes, some 11 cases occurred on the border with Iran, 11 others on joint border with Pakistan, two conflicts on the border with Tajikistan, two others on joint borderline with Uzbekistan and the last one on the border with Turkmenistan.
The details of these conflicts are as follows:
1- Conflict with Iran, Shaghalak area in Hirmand district in Sistan and Baluchistan province, December 1, 2021
2- Conflict with Pakistan, Sirkanay district in Kunar province, December 24, 2021
3- Conflict with Turkmenistan, Khamab district in Jowzjan province, January 4, 2022
4- Conflict with Pakistan, Spin Buldak-Chaman border crossing in Kandahar province, February 24, 2022
5- Clash with Iran, Darbishak area in Kang district, Nimroz province, March 7, 2022
6- Conflict with Iran, Islam Qala border crossing in Kahsan district of Herat province, April 23, 2022
7- Conflict with Uzbekistan, Hairatan border crossing in Balkh province, May 3, 2022
8- Conflict with Tajikistan, Shirkhan border crossing in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province, May 15, 2022
9- Conflict with Iran, the border of Hirmand district in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province, June 29, 2022
10- Conflict with Iran, the border of Kang district in Nimroz province, July 12, 2022
11- Conflict with Iran, the border of Doust Mohammad region located in Hirmand district in Sistan and Baluchistan province, July 31, 2022
12- Clash with Uzbekistan, Hairatan border crossing and Shortepe district in Balkh province, August 22, 2022
13- Conflict with Pakistan, border village of Zanjir in Shamulzayi district in Zabul province, September 1, 2022
14- Conflict with Iran, the Abrisham Bridge in Sistan and Baluchistan province, October 17, 2022
15- Conflict with Pakistan, Spin Buldak-Chaman border crossing in Kandahar province, November 13, 2022
16- Conflict with Pakistan, border areas of Paktia province, November 2022
17- Conflict with Pakistan, border areas of Paktia province, November 2022
18- Conflict with Pakistan, Kharlachi border village located in Dand Aw Patan district in Paktia province, November 19, 2022
19- Conflict with Pakistan, Kharlachi border village located in Dand Aw Patan district in Paktia province, November 20, 2022
20- Conflict with Iran, Sasuli border village in Sistan and Baluchistan province, December 7, 2022
21- Conflict with Pakistan, Shiro Obo village in Spin Buldak district in Kandahar province, December 11, 2022
22- Conflict with Pakistan, Shiro Obo village in Spin Buldak district in Kandahar province, December 15, 2022
23- Clash with Pakistan, Torkham border crossing in Nangarhar province, February 20, 2023
24- Clash with Iran, Gudar Abdurrahman area near Milak border crossing in Sistan and Baluchistan province, March 5, 2023
25- Conflict with Iran, the border of Sasuli village in Sistan and Baluchistan province, May 14, 2023
26- Conflict with Iran, the border of Makaki, Sasuli and Hatam villages in Sistan and Baluchistan province, May 27, 2023
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