A Taliban commander claims that Turkmen border troops have entered Afghanistan
MAZARE SHARIF, 18 jan - "Sangar", Qari Ahmad. The details come from a video recently released to the media.
Mullah Jura, a local Taliban commander in the district of Khomab in Jauzjan province, who speaks Turkmen in the tape, said Turkmenistan troops had entered Afghan territory, harassed and looted people, but after seeing Islamic Emirate forces escaped and survived.
He shows a military belt with an attached container of water, and the written name of a soldier named "Yusupov" on it. He says that the Turkmen border guard dropped the belt during fleeing.
"We are not like the soldiers of the former mercenary government of Kabul, to escape. We will never allow infidels and aggressors to invade our land," said Mullah Jura.
An armed clash on the Turkmen-Afghan border between Taliban fighters and Turkmen border guards took place on January 3rd. Hilal Balkhi, then head of the Taliban Information and Culture Department in Jauzjan province, reported that three days earlier, Turkmen border guards had shot Afghan territory, killing a civilian activist and beating another man. In response, Turkmen soldiers were fired upon.
Taliban officials did not comment on casualties in Turkmenistan, but "Ettelaate ruz", an Afghan daily reported, quoting a Taliban fighter, that four Turkmen soldiers were killed and four others wounded in the clashes.
In response, the Turkmen government closed the port of Aqina, which was later reopened following negotiations. The Taliban officially said nothing had happened at the border.
Turkmenistan is the third country, which is embroiled in a military conflict with the Taliban on its borders. Earlier, Taliban forces also clashed with Iranian and Pakistani border guards.
* The organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities
