Fierce Taliban vs. Iran Clashes Break Out On Afghan Border
Fierce clashes erupted Wednesday between the Taliban and Iranian forces along Afghanistan's western border, Reuters reports based on local eyewitness accounts. Battlefield videos have also begun emerging showing gunfights on the border in the Nimruz region in the country's southwest.
The Afghan side is claiming that Iranian border patrols crossed into Afghan territory, resulting in an armed confrontation and firefight. "Amaj News based in Kabul also quoted local sources as saying that Iranian forces used heavy weapons and the Taliban dispatched armored American Humvees to confront Iran’s border troops," regional news source Iran International observed.
First clashes today between #Taliban & #Iran forces on #Afghanistan border today.
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) December 1, 2021
Local Afghan media reporting that Taliban took control of 3 Iranian border checkpoints: pic.twitter.com/c5bpXD8tWj
In addition to the American Humvees, ironically enough, it's also likely that US weapons and ammunition were used by the Taliban militants, given the hardline Islamist group had last August captured many millions of dollars worth of US equipment as the Pentagon rapidly withdrew from the country.
Hours following the intense clash, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency called it a "border misunderstanding" while denying reports that Taliban fighters had captured an Iranian outpost. Some unverified videos circulating in regional social media have claimed a small Iranian border base was captured and ransacked by the Taliban.
Local Afghan news sources are additionally claiming some Iranian soldiers were captured. If true it would prove hugely embarrassing for the Islamic Republic...
#BREAKING Fierce clashes have erupted between Iranian border guards and Taliban forces along Iran-Afghanistan border.
— Reza Khaasteh (@Khaaasteh) December 1, 2021
Sources told @aamajnews24 several Iranian border posts have been captured by Taliban fighters pic.twitter.com/v88lhQWcXZ
"The clashes ended and Iran is discussing the dispute over the border with the Taliban," Tasnim reported, however, there's little that's been confirmed - and likely there could be further firefights that break out.
There are also unconfirmed reports from the ground that the Taliban took on casualties.
#AFG Taliban soldiers clashing with Iranian border forces in Kaaang district, Nimroz on the Iranian border. Fighting stopped this evening. There are casualties and fatalities among Taliban, several sources in Nimroz province including doctors at a hospital tells me. pic.twitter.com/XC15LvkEut
— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) December 1, 2021
Beginning in July the Taliban started capturing increasingly important border crossings with Iran as the US withdrawal was initiated.
The Taliban advance so near the border had placed Iran's border forces on high alert, which included deployments of elite IRGC units in some places. At the time the IRGC said it would crackdown on any possible drug smuggling or any unauthorized breaches of Iran's border.
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