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By Mushtaq Ali
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Overnight clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the main border crossing between the countries caused thousands of people to flee their homes but the situation had calmed down by Tuesday morning, residents and officials said.
The conflict started on Monday, the first working day of Ramadan, when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan.
Around 15,000 local residents fled to Landi Kotal due to the clashes, an official said. Afghan border guards had opened fire without warning, targeting government buildings and civilians, and causing widespread panic.
"The tensions between the two countries and continuous closure of the border has been causing multiple problems to the people of the border area. People are very poor and dependent on their businesses related to the border," Ali Shinwari, who lives in the border town, told Reuters.
Relatives and tribesmen in a nearby town have been hosting dozens of relatives since the border closure, he added.
The Torkham crossing has been shut since February 21 due to a dispute over the construction of a border-area outpost by Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said on condition of anonymity.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
The Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday one Taliban fighter was killed and two injured, while Pakistani security officials reported that members of their forces had also been wounded.
The Torkham crossing is the main transit artery for travellers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. Trade between the countries was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024, according to Pakistan's foreign office.
The closure has stranded 5,000 trucks filled with essential goods and caused at least $15 million in losses, said Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan's Khyber district where the Torkham crossing is located.
(Reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar ; writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi, editing by Ed Osmond)
