WATCH: Pakistan Army, Afghan Taliban exchange gunfire at Torkham border crossing

Peshawar: Fierce cross-border firing took place between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani border guards at the Durand Line on Monday, a day after Afghanistan's current rulers closed the key Torkham border crossing with Pakistan.Local media reports claimed that at least one Pakistani soldier belonging to the Frontier Corps – a paramilitary force under the command of the Pakistan Army – has been killed while several were injured in the firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the Durand Line.The Torkham border crossing - a crucial trade and transit point on the Durand Line - was closed by the Afghan Taliban, who have accused Pakistan of breaching several commitments made to Afghanistan.Monday’s gunfight at the Torkham border crossing comes amidst increasing tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan.On Sunday, the Afghan Taliban shut the Torkham border crossing over the alleged refusal by the Pakistan authorities to allow Afghan patients and their caretakers to cross the Durand Line for medical care without travel documents.Khalid Khan, a local Pakistani police official, confirmed that the Afghan Taliban has closed the border crossing and what he described as intermittent exchanges of fire at Torkham, which is located in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.The Pakistan Army and the country’s foreign ministry made no immediate comments on the Torkham incident.Read Also: Pashtun leader Manzoor Pashteen blames Pakistan Army for Taliban resurgenceMullah Mohammad Siddiq, a Taliban-appointed commissioner at Torkham, was quoted as saying by news agency AP that Pakistan has not been abiding by its “commitments, so the crossing point was shut down."He urged advised Afghans to avoid travelling to the Torkham border crossing, which is located on the Afghan side of the Durand Line in the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, until further notice.Cross-border firings are common along the Durand Line, which marks the rather turbulent border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have closed the Torkham border crossing in the past and also the Chaman border crossing in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, over different reasons.The Afghan Taliban recaptured power in Afghanistan in August 2021 when they seized Kabul following the withdrawal of US and NATO troops after 20 years of war.Pakistan has followed the rest of the world in not recognizing the Taliban regime of Afghanistan. The global community has criticised the harsh measures imposed by the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan, especially in clamping down on the rights of women and minorities.Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November last year when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – which is also known as the Pakistani Taliban – unilaterally ended a ceasefire agreement with the Pakistan Army.Since the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the Pakistan government has allowed critically ill or injured Afghans to enter Pakistan for medical treatment along with a limited number of caretakers.However, Pakistan has demanded that the Afghan Taliban must stop offering sanctuary in Afghanistan to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – or the Pakistani Taliban - and prevent cross-border attacks from across the Durand Line.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.