Flames devoured a thriving commercial complex at Afghanistan’s Torkham border crossing after Pakistani forces unleashed a heavy shelling attack before dawn on Sunday. The assault, which local authorities say began at 4 AM, turned the area’s economic heart into a smoldering ruin, with more than 150 stores reduced to ashes and damages soaring to around $300 million.
Eyewitness accounts paint a chaotic scene: shells crashed into the market, igniting fires that spread rapidly despite the combined response of four fire engines, water tankers, and community volunteers. Torkham’s mayor, Mawlawi Abdullah Mustafa, confirmed the strikes originated from across the border, underscoring the growing peril to civilian life and business in the region.
As one of the world’s busiest land crossings, Torkham is crucial for Afghan-Pakistani trade, handling immense volumes of cargo and passenger traffic daily. The destruction not only cripples local merchants but also disrupts supply chains vital to Afghanistan’s recovery efforts.
This fiery assault comes amid spiraling hostilities. Afghan reports from Friday boast of Taliban fighters killing 30 Pakistani troops, capturing outposts in Kandahar’s Shorabak and Paktia’s Dand Patan areas, then blowing them up. Defense spokesman Inayatullah Khwarazmi claimed dominance over key positions like Top Sar Khuche Karam and Anjirki Sar.
Tensions ignited on February 27 with Afghan reprisals against Pakistani sites, following an earlier Pakistani operation against supposed terrorists. Pakistan’s retaliatory ‘Operation Ghaib Lil-Haq’ has only fueled the fire. With civilians caught in the crossfire, calls for de-escalation grow louder, yet the border remains a powder keg.