“We decided to allow them to transit to Pakistan… after checking their travel documents, so that they can reunite with their families on Eid al-Adha,” the border official said, referring to the Muslims celebrating next week festival.
Nur Ali, a Pakistani who has been visiting Kabul, said that due to fighting in the border province of Kandahar, he tried to reach Spinboldak twice in recent days.
“I was scared, but the Taliban did not create any problems. They checked my documents and allowed me to pass,” he told AFP after arriving in the nearby city of Quetta.
The Taliban’s occupation of border towns was after weeks of intensified conflict in various parts of Afghanistan. The insurgents used the final stage of the U.S. withdrawal to launch a series of lightning offensives, occupying various areas at an alarming rate.
