Families Displaced By Torkham Conflict Seek Urgent Assistance

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Hundreds of families have been displaced by fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces in Torkham township of Momandara district in eastern Nangarhar province and they seek urgent assistance.

The fighting broke out intermittently last night and the night before, with Afghan officials accusing Pakistani militias of initiating the conflict and also targeting commercial and residential areas of Torkham township.

Local residents say hundreds of families have been displaced, but the Nangarhar Department of Refugees says a survey in this regard is ongoing and the exact number of displaced people is yet to be determined.

Abdul Matin Qani, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the fighting began at 12am last night and continued until 11am yesterday morning.

Qani said Pakistani forces initiated the fighting and forced the Islamic Emirate forces to retaliate.

He said one Afghan soldier lost his life and two others were injured in the clash.

He said the Pakistanis also suffered casualties, but the exact number was not known and some of their posts were also destroyed.

Last night, Pakistani militias once again attacked Afghan forces and the ensuing gun-battle continued for several hours.

A source told Pajhwok that the clash began at around 10pm last night and ended an hour later.

However, the source added currently calm prevailed in Torkham, but security forces on both sides were on high alert.

Locals say Pakistani forces targeted local people's homes and businesses during the fighting, causing significant financial losses to the people.

A local resident, Ahmadullah, whose family was displaced due to fear of the fighting, said they had become homeless and needed urgent assistance.

He said about four hundred and fifty families had been displaced, lying on the road under the rain.“I want the government to help us because we have no place to sleep or shelter.”

Another local shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, told Pajhwok that the business sector suffered the most due to the war.

He said not only trade had come to a standstill, but shops and commercial places were also damaged due to the war.

Nangarhar refugee affairs head Baz Mohammad Abdul Rahman acknowledged people have been displaced due to the war, but said he accurate figures were yet to be obtained and survey teams would collect the figures of the displaced people by the end of today.

He said:“We have sent teams to the areas to conduct surveys, and we will provide them with assistance by the end of the day, God willing.”

However, Abdul Muttalib Haqqani, a spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees, told Pajhwok that about 800 families have been displaced due to the fighting.

He said that efforts were underway to assist families currently settled in a temporary refugee settlement in Lalpura district. he said some families had moved to Jalalabad city and other districts.

Trade has also been affected by the closure of the Torkham crossing and the fighting.

Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce says hundreds of trucks carrying commercial goods remain stranded on both sides.

Zalmay Azimi, a member of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment and a businessman, told Pajhwok that traders suffered losses amounting to $500,000 every day since the gate was closed and the fighting broke out.

He said hundreds of trucks carrying Afghan traders' commercial goods, mostly food, were parked on both sides, and the goods in many trucks have been damaged.

Similar clashes have taken place at Torkham between Afghan and Pakistani forces in the past, with ordinary Afghans, patients and traders bearing the brunt of the situation.

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