The rift between the Pakistan Army and the Taliban has reportedly intensified yet again as the two sides engaged in fresh clashes along the Durand Line on Friday.
The prevailing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan took a dangerous turn on Friday after Afghan Taliban shot down a Pakistan Army helicopter near the Baloch majority area of Nimoz sector along the border.
Hashim Wahdatyar, an Afghanistan-based US journalist, revealed that the Taliban forces shot Pakistan’s helicopter in Nimroz province, along the Durand Line.
As per reports, the Taliban’s attack on Pakistan’s helicopter led to serious injuries to a Pakistani Army General. Following the incident, the Pakistan Army requested the Taliban to hand over the attackers in the next 24 hours.
However, according to Wahdatyar, the Taliban rejected the request. An intense fight erupted after the Taliban denied Pakistan’s request to hand over the attackers.
It is being reported that Afghanistan is preparing for a possible Pakistani attack in the coming days.
The ongoing clashes come just months after similar gunfights between the Pakistan Army and the Taliban. In February this year, the Pakistan Army and the Taliban had fought each other as the latter had opened fire against the Taliban troops in the Dangam district of Kunar.
The Pakistan Army had also used heavy artillery against the Taliban, leading to clashes between the two sides. The Taliban troops had assembled in the area to re-engage with the Pakistan Army.
Similarly, in December 2021, a major clash was reported along the Durand line in Kunar province. There were reports of heavy firing from both sides along with the border areas in December last year.
Durand Line has been a conflict point between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Earlier in December 2021, the Taliban had objected to Pakistan fencing its side along the Nimroz sector.
The Durand Line cuts through the Pashtun tribal areas and further south through the Balochistan region, politically dividing ethnic Pashtuns, as well as the Baloch, who live on both sides of the border.
The border remains largely unrecognised in Afghanistan and by Baloch nationalists. In 2017, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan will “never recognise” the Durand Line as the border between the two countries.
From a geopolitical and geo-strategic perspective, the Durand line has been described as one of the most dangerous borders in the world.