On Tuesday, Pakistani authorities began fencing off one of the two main Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossings at Torkham, a site in Pakistan that connects Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province with Pakistan’s FATA (VOA). Done to restrict movement of Afghans coming across the border and to “tighten controls,” Afghan officials have voiced their concerns about the negative effect the action has on the transportation of goods and the many women and children seeking to travel to Pakistan for medical treatment who are now stuck in Afghanistan. Roughly 50,000 people, primarily Afghans, access the border crossing daily. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman, said, “This is in the interest of all concerned to have a well-managed border, a border that has those fences or the check points so that the crossings could be monitored properly.”
Tensions escalated further on Thursday as both countries deployed tanks and armored personnel to the border sit (Dawn). Negotiators from both countries met on the Pakistan side of the border at midday Thursday but were unable to reach an agreement.
Bonus Read: “Don’t let the U.S. abandon thousands of Afghans who worked for us,” by Ryan Crocker (Post)
New Afghan force established in Helmand to weaken Taliban
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security has created and equipped a new 300-person fighting unit in Helmand to infiltrate and exploit divisions within the Taliban by embedding with local citizens and weakening the group’s stronghold in the province (Reuters). The unit’s existence was confirmed by Abdul Jabbar Qahraman, President Ashraf Ghani's special envoy for security affairs in Helmand. A provincial official reported that the unit has been active in the districts of Musa Qala, Nawzad, Marjah, and Nad Ali. The Taliban’s main spokesman in southern Afghanistan, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, commented, “It is true that this contingent exists and operates mysteriously in some parts of Helmand. We have very strong intelligence and find those who want to infiltrate our ranks.” Local Helmandis have responded favorably to the newly-formed unit. Attaullah Afghan, a member of the Helmand provincial council, said, “It is a very good achievement by the Afghan government and has created splits within the Taliban.”