Iranian official calls border clash ‘conspiracy of colonialists’

KABUL (Pajhwok): A senior Iranian official on Sunday called yesterday’s clash between border security forces of the two countries a ‘conspiracy of colonialists’ and Afghan officials said such clashes could affect bilateral ties.

Afghan and Iranian border forces clashed for several hours using light and heavy weapons in the limits of Makaki village of Kang district of western Nimroz province on Saturday, with both sides suffering casualties.

SayedRasoMosavi, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran tweeted today, (May 28): “We must be alerted! What is happening today at the border of Zabul-Nimroz is the continuation of the colonialists' conspiracy”.

Mosavi continued: “If Gold Smith has made the prosperous Sistan to this current state by his conspiracy of 1872, his heirs want to destroy Afghanistan and Iran. The people of both countries must be alerted that the fighting is neither in the interest of anyone”.

While, Abdul Nafi Takor, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) of Afghanistan, tweeted: “Today, in the vicinity of Nimroz province, Iranian border forces fired at Afghanistan, which was met with a counter-reaction, and in the course of the battle, one person was killed and several others were injured”.

Takor said: “Islamic Emirate does not want fighting with its neighbor”.

The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan also said in a statement: “Unfortunately, the Iranian border guards once again fired towards Afghanistan in the limits of Kang district of Nimroz province, which led to a fighting”.

The statement added: “Islamic Emirate considers dialogue a reasonable way for any kind of problem. Making excuses for war and negative actions is not in the interest of any side”.

The border clash came amid ongoing dispute over water share of Helmand River between Afghanistan and Iran.

aw/ma