The 2021 Afghanistan–Iran clashes took place between the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces and the Iranian Border Guard Command along checkpoints on the

Afghanistan–Iran border The Afghanistan–Iran border is in length and runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the north to the tripoint with Pakistan in the south. Description The border begins at the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the Harirud river before proc ...

. The clashes occurred on the 1st of December, the cross-border fighting saw troops of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan capture several checkpoints on the Iranian side of the international border. The clashes ended later that day after the two sides promptly came to an agreement that saw the Taliban force withdraw from all captured Iranian territory.

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and the

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

subsequently referred to the incident as a "misunderstanding" and denied suffering any casualties, although various media reports reported casualties on both sides.

Background

Relations between

, a primarily

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

country, and the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

, dominated by

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

fundamentalists, have historically been highly volatile. During the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan between 1996–2001, 10 Iranian diplomats from the consulate in

Mazar-i-Sharif Mazar-i-Sharīf ( ; Dari and ), also known as Mazar-e Sharīf or simply Mazar, is the fifth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with the estimates varying from 500,000-680,000. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highway ...

, were executed by the Taliban. This led to a military mobilization by Iran, which was resolved with the mediation of the United Nations. During the 2001 U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan, Iran cooperated with the U.S. forces and Iranian special forces supported the

Northern Alliance The Northern Alliance ( ''Da Šumāl E'tilāf'' or ''Ettehād Šumāl''), officially known as the United National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( ''Jabha-ye Muttahid-e barāye Afğānistān''), was a military alliance of groups that op ...

during the capture of Herat. During the 2001–2021 War in Afghanistan Iran improved its relations with the Taliban, during the war the U.S. and the

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan Afghan Interim Administration, interim (2001–2002) and Transitional Islamic State of Afghanist ...

accused Iran of providing sanctuaries and material support to the Taliban. In 2010, an Iranian

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

officer, who described as a "key Taliban weapons facilitator" was captured by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

forces in Afghanistan. In 2017, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan accused Iran of directly aiding the Taliban in their offensive against the Afghan government forces in western Afghanistan and claimed that Iran had tried to destroy a dam in Herat province. Iran has denied the accusations of providing support to the Taliban. In the summer of 2021 the Taliban reestablished its rule over Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal from the country. In November 2021, National Resistance Front of Afghanistan's leader

Ahmad Massoud Ahmad Massoud (, ; born July 10, 1989) is an Afghan politician who is the founder and leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. He is the eldest son of prominent Afghan anti-Soviet military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, and was appoin ...

and former warlord

Ismail Khan Mohammad Ismail Khan (Dari/Pashto: محمد اسماعیل خان; born 1946), better known as Ismail Khan, is an Afghan former military officer, warlord and politician who served as Minister of Energy and Water from 2005 to 2013 and before tha ...

met in Iran as part of their attempts to strengthen the Afghan opposition.

Clashes

On 1 December 2021, clashes took place between the border guards of the two countries on the Afghanistan-Iran border. The semi-official Iranian news agency '' Tasnim'', said that the clashes had started after the Taliban forces opened fire on Iranian farmers who had crossed the border wall between the two countries, which prompted the Iranian soldiers to intervene with heavy and medium weapons as well as

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

fire. During the ensuing clashes the Taliban fighters launched an attack on the Dahraes border checkpoint and overran it along with multiple other checkpoints in the Iranian territory. According to media reports, an unspecified number of combatants were killed on both sides during the clashes, while both sides denied suffering any casualties in the incident. The clashes ended later in the day after the two sides came to an agreement and the Taliban withdrew from all captured territory.

Reactions

Afghanistan

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that "a misunderstanding at the local level" had triggered the clash between the border guards of two countries. Mujahid added that "the situation was now under control with the understanding of both sides" and that the Taliban leaders in the area have been issued the "necessary instructions" to prevent such misunderstandings from happening again. The Taliban also did not report any casualties on their side.

Iran

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said in a statement that a "misunderstanding between border residents" had caused the fighting, without naming the Taliban. The semi-official Iranian news agency ''Fars'', made no mention of the Taliban, saying smugglers may have been at fault. The news website also claimed there were no casualties.

References