Chaman border crossing
Chaman Border Crossing
چمن بارڈر کراسنگ | |
|---|---|
Chaman Border Gate between Afghanistan and Pakistan | |
Chaman Border Crossing Chaman Border Crossing Chaman Border Crossing | |
| Coordinates: 30°55′20″N 66°26′41″E / 30.92222°N 66.44472°E | |
| Countries | Pakistan Afghanistan |
| Provinces | Balochistan Kandahar |
| Districts | Chaman Spin Boldak |
| Control | Pakistan Taliban |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
The Chaman border crossing is one of the major international border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Located on the Pak-Afghan border, it leads north from the town of Chaman, Chaman District, Balochistan into Wesh, Afghanistan in Spin Boldak District, Kandahar province. More generally, it links the two provincial capitals: Quetta and Kandahar.
At least 10,000 peoples cross this border on a daily basis for businesses in Wesh, Afghanistan and return home in the evening.[1]
On 14 July 2021, the Afghan side of the border crossing was captured by Taliban forces as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive.[2]
A brick, double-arched Friendship Gate, rising three stories tall, was erected in 2003. The gate facing towards Balochistan bears the words "Proud Pakistani" and "Pakistan First".[3][4][5]
The official hours of the border crossing run from morning to sunset.[5]
United States military presence
The Wesh-Chaman border crossing has been used by international forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan as part of a major supply route stretching from the Port of Karachi to Kandahar,[6] with roughly 60 to 100 trucks traversing Chaman daily.[3]
On January 18, 2010, ISAF commander General Stanley A. McChrystal visited the site after discussing the crossing's efficiency with Pakistani authorities.[7] A US-run Forward operating base (FOB) was located in Spin Boldak, which monitored the border crossing along with the Afghan Border Police and the Afghan National Army.
2025 Afghanistan-Pakistan clash
On the early morning of October 15, 2025, some Taliban officials stated that the gate at the border crossing had been destroyed by Taliban forces.[8] However, Pakistani officials countered, stating that the Taliban forces had only destroyed the portion of the gate on their side of the border.[9] The following day, the Inspector General of Frontier Corps visited the border crossing and posed in front of the gate on the Pakistani side to demonstrate that it remained intact. A Pakistani media outlet also reported that the gate was in its original condition on the Pakistani side.[8]
References
- ^ Akhtar, Saadullah. "Thousands of Afghans enter Pakistan via Chaman border crossing". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Sediqi, Abdul; Hakimi, Orooj (14 July 2021). "Afghan Taliban seize border crossing with Pakistan in major advance". Reuters. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ a b Mekhennet, Souad; Oppel, Richard A. (4 February 2010). "Even Where Pakistani Law Exists, Taliban Find a Porous Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Rizvi, Muddassir (9 December 2003). "Suspicion of Pakistan runs deep". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 10 December 2003. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ a b Giovanni, Janine Di (10 June 2008). "Pakistan's Phantom Border". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 26 November 2023. Note: Photograph of gate by Alex Majoli on p. 1 of story; account of visit on p. 5.
- ^ Roggio, Bill (9 September 2009). "Chaman border crossing closed to NATO traffic". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "US troops surge in Afghanistan McChrystal inspects Chaman point to quicken equipment shipments". Pakistan Observer newspaper. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ a b "IG FC North visits Friendship Gate at Chaman border to expose Taliban's propaganda". 24 News HD. 16 October 2025.
- ^ Khan, Tahir (15 October 2025). "Security forces repel attack along Balochistan border, 15-20 Afghan Taliban killed: ISPR". Dawn. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
External links
Media related to Wesh–Chaman border crossing at Wikimedia Commons