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2021 Afghanistan–Iran clashes

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2021 Afghanistan–Iran clashes

Map of Afghanistan's Nimruz province where the clashes took place
Date1 December 2021
Location
Near Shagalak, Nimruz Province, Afghanistan–Iran border
Result Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
 Afghanistan  Iran
Casualties and losses
No casualties[1] No casualties[1]

On 1 December 2021, an armed clash took place between the Iranian border guards and the Taliban fighters on the Afghanistan–Iran border,[2] The clashes ended later in the day after the two sides came to an agreement.[3][4][5] Both sides say that the clash was because of "misunderstanding" and neither side reported any casualties.[1]

Background

In the past, relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran, a Shiite theocracy, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-whose government is dominated by Sunni fundamentalists belonging to the Taliban, have historically been highly volatile.[6] During the first Taliban government of Afghanistan, 10 Iranian diplomats from the consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, were executed by the Taliban. This led to a military mobilization by Iran, which was resolved with the mediation of the United Nations.[7] During the 2001 U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan, Iran cooperated with the U.S. forces and Iranian special forces supported the Northern Alliance during the capture of Herat.[8]

However, later on Iran improved its relations with the Taliban. United States and the successive US-backed Afghan government have accused Iran of providing sanctuaries and material support to the Taliban.[9][10][11] In 2010, an Iranian officer belonging to Quds Force was captured by NATO forces in Afghanistan. The captured officer was decribed as "key Taliban weapons facilitator" by the NATO spokesman.[12] In 2017, the US-backed Afghan government had accused the Iran of directly aiding the Taliban in their offensive against the Afghan government forces in western Afghanistan and had tried to destroy dam in Herat province.[13] Iran has denied the accusations of providing support to the Taliban.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Iran has maintained good relations and close contacts with the new Taliban government in Afghanistan.[1]

Clashes

The clashes between the border guards of the two countries took place near the Afghanistan-Iran border on 1 December 2021. The clash has been described as result of "misunderstanding" between the border guards by both the countries. Tasnim news agency, an Iranian media with links to IRGC, says that the clash started after the Taliban forces opened fire on Iranian farmers thinking that the farmers have violated the border which promoted the Iranian soldiers to intervene.[14] Fars news website, another Iranian media which also has ties with the IRGC, made no mention of the Taliban, saying smugglers may be at fault. The news website also said there were no casualties and the area is now calm. Later on the same day, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said in a statement that a “misunderstanding between border residents” had caused the fighting, without naming the Taliban.[14][6] Tasnim news agency also rejected report of Taliban capturing border post belonging to Iranian border guards.[1]

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also said that "a misunderstanding at the local level" had triggered the clash between the border guards of two countries. Mujahid also added that "the situation is now under control with the understanding of both sides" and the Taliban leaders in the area have been issued the "necessary instructions" to prevent such misunderstandings from happening again. The Taliban also did not report any casualties on their side.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Gul, Ayaz (1 December 2021). "Taliban, Iran Say Misunderstanding Sparked Brief Border Clashes". VOA.
  2. ^ "Iran and Taliban forces clash in border area". Al Jazeera. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. ^ Shahla, Arsalan (1 December 2021). "Iran Forces and Taliban Clashed on Afghan Border, Tasnim Says". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Clashes over Iran-Afghanistan's 'border misunderstanding' ended". Reuters. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. ^ "طالبان تسيطر على مواقع ونقاط حراسة ايرانية على الحدود المشتركة". Al Bawaba. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "اشتباك حدودي بين القوات الإيرانية وطالبان بسبب "سوء فهم"". CNN Arabic. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Taliban, Iran hold talks". CNN. 3 February 199. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ^ Nadimi, Farzin (19 July 2021). "Iran Sets Its Eyes on Afghanistan". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  9. ^ Siddique, Abubakar; Shayan, Noorullah (31 July 2017). "Mounting Afghan Ire Over Iran's Support For Taliban". RFE/RL.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Iran Backs Taliban With Cash and Arms". The Wall Street Journal. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "Afghanistan war logs: Iran's covert operations in Afghanistan". The Guardian. 25 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Iranian officer captured in Afghanistan: NATO". Khaleej Times. 24 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Iran Accused of Helping Taliban Capture A District In Afghanistan". RFE/RL. 26 July 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b Motamedi, Maziar (1 December 2021). "Iran and Taliban forces clash in border area". Al Jazeera.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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