Iranian border guard killed on southeast border with Afghanistan

ByNews Desk- The Cradle 

Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan urges the Afghan caretaker government to identify the culprits behind this recent assault

Iranian border guard Mohammad Sayyad was killed on the southeast border crossing with Afghanistan, Tehran’s foreign ministry said on 28 June.

The Iranian President’s special envoy for Afghanistan said there was no security on Afghan borders, and urged the Afghan caretaker government to investigate and identify the culprits behind the recent assault on the border checkpoint.

The special representative to Afghanistan tweeted that ‘no insecurity on our borders is tolerable.’

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani responded to the situation, saying: “… this unfortunate incident in the Milak border area, which led to the martyrdom of a border guard from the Islamic Republic of Iran, is being investigated by authorities and will be announced as soon as the issue is clarified.”

He went on to express condolences to the family of Sayyad, who was killed at the Milak crossing in the Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Afghan officials confirmed there were no clashes between Iranian and Afghan forces near their shared border.

“Officials in Afghanistan’s caretaker government are expected to take serious action to clarify the dimensions of the issue, punish the perpetrators, and take the necessary measures to prevent similar incidents,” Kanani added.

Like many other nations, Iran has yet to recognize the Taliban government since the chaotic withdrawal of US forces and their consolidation of power over Afghanistan in August last year.

Iran continues to insist that the Taliban must form an inclusive government and reform their laws on women.

However, recent moves by the Taliban, including the temporary closure of girls schools and the ban on allowing women to travel without a male chaperone, have created skepticism among nations.

Afghanistan is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis after the US froze, then seized, the country’s foreign reserves, preventing NGOs from providing aid to the interim government.

In February, President Biden signed an executive order to use half the $7 billion in Afghan funds illegally frozen in US banks to pay the families of the victims of 11 September attacks, further crippling the nation.