Iran's Police blame Taliban for eruption of border clash

The Taliban are accountable for the ill-advised move that resulted in a skirmish at the common border of Iran and Afghanistan on Saturday, the Iranian Police said, vowing a decisive response to any violation of the country’s boundaries.

According to Tasnim news agency, in remarks on Saturday, Iranian Police Deputy Commander General Qassem Rezaei gave an account of what happened in the morning at a border region between Iran and Afghanistan.

He said the Taliban forces inside Afghanistan ignored the norms of good neighborliness and violated international regulations when they used various types of weapons to shoot at Iran’s “Sasouli” Police Station, which operates as part of the Zabol border regiment, at around 10 am local time on Saturday.

The general said the courageous Iranian border guards reacted decisively and gave the assailants the necessary warnings in accordance with the border protocols, but sadly, the Taliban resumed shooting a few hours later.

Following the Taliban’s move to trigger clashes, Commander of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran Brigadier General Ahmadreza Radan issued a firm order urging the border guards to safeguard the country’s borders courageously and decisively and not allow anybody to close in on or violate the frontiers, he added.

The deputy commander said the Iranian border guards have been ordered to give a crushing response to any violation of the border, saying the current rulers of Afghanistan must be held accountable for their ill-advised measures that contravene international principles.

Iran said the skirmish broke out at a border region between the southeastern Province of Sistan and Balouchestan and the Nimruz Province of Afghanistan in areas around Sasouli, Hatam and Makaki villages.

A statement said the Iranian military forces have employed light weapons, crew-served weapons and artillery, but denied the use of missiles.

It also quashed rumors that Iran has bombed the Zaranj Airport inside Afghanistan, saying the clashes were confined to the rural areas mentioned above.

The Iranian Embassy in Kabul and the Taliban officials had contacts afterwards to look into the incident.

ME