US voices concern over clashes at Torkham border

The United States said it is concerned by the recent clashes at the Torkham crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan. State Department spokesman John Kirby during a briefing here on Wednesday said the United States does not want the situation at Torkham border to deteriorate. "The United States is looking into the situation. It has contacted officials both from Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said answering a question of the rising tensions between the two countries at the Pak-Afghan border.
Kirby said, "We've gotten reports that casualties have been taken on both sides. We are also concerned about reports of the presence of heavy weapons at the border". He said the US continues to encourage the governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their disagreements at the crossing point and to de-escalate tensions. He said good relations between the two countries are key to the stability to the region. He added that Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Olson had met the Afghan president in this regard. "We don't want to see terrorism in the region," he said.