Pakistan 'Re-enforces' Borders With Afghanistan, India Withdraws Officials

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Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that the meeting that was held in Tehran, which included delegations from the Taliban movement and the Afghan government, presented an "important step" towards peace in Afghanistan.

According to Afghanistan Times, Karzai welcomed the joint statement that came out following the Tehran meeting, in which both sides warned against the danger of the continuation of the war on the security and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

The spokesman for the Pakistani army announced that the country is 're-enforcing' its borders with Afghanistan, in conjunction with foreign forces withdrawing from the country and the escalating tension.

The spokesman said that 90% of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is currently protected by a fence, explaining that border security "is a two-way street. The Afghan side should have taken measures similar to what Islamabad did, but unfortunately, that did not happen."

India Withdraws Officials from Kandahar

India announced that it had withdrawn Indian officials from its consulate in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, due to the Taliban's control of several regions of the country.

The spokesman for the Indian Ministry of Foreign affairs said that the withdrawal of officials from Afghanistan is a temporary measure taken due to the heavy fighting near the city of Kandahar, stressing that his country is closely monitoring the development of the security situation in Afghanistan.

An official in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced Saturday that the Aghan government asked Tehran to make the necessary arrangements to return its border guard forces to Kabul.

Violence and bloody confrontations escalated between the Afghan government forces and the "Taliban" in parallel with the faltering negotiations between them, which aim to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement and to discuss the country's political future.