Pak Security Officials’ Delegation Travels to Kandahar to Discuss Border Issues

Sources told Afghanistan International that a delegation of Pakistani military and civilian officials travelled to Kandahar on Sunday to discuss the border issues between the two countries.

According to sources, the Pakistani delegation met with Mullah Shirin Akhund, the Taliban's governor in Kandahar.

The Pakistani delegation's meeting with Taliban officials in Kandahar is part of regular meetings of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Border Committee, sources told Afghanistan International on Monday.

According to sources, the delegation held talks with Taliban border officials at the Angur Adda and North Waziristan border crossing before leaving for Kandahar.

The visit of Pakistani military and civilian officials to Kandahar comes after the recent clashes between Taliban and Pakistani border forces in Khost province.

In the clashes that took place about ten days ago, Pakistani media reported heavy casualties for the Taliban's border forces.

The Express Tribune newspaper, citing its sources, reported that 16 Taliban fighters were killed and 27 other Taliban fighters were wounded in an exchange of fire with Pakistani border forces in Zazai Maidan in Khost.

According to the report, two Taliban tanks were also destroyed in the clashes. According to the report, the clash between the Taliban and the Pakistani army took place between the morning of September 8 to the evening of September 10.
Taliban officials have not yet commented on the casualties.

Earlier, Geo News and Pakistan's state-run radio quoted sources as claiming that two Taliban commanders were also killed in the clashes.
Following the clashes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that he would start talks on security issues with the Taliban government. Gandapur's remarks were met with serious reactions from politicians in the ruling parties.