(Kabul) Two people were killed on Saturday in an exchange of fire between Iranian forces and the Taliban, on the border between Iran and Afghanistan, according to the Taliban authorities.
Iranian police reported a “clash” without giving details of the casualties, while local Iranian news agency Mehr reported the death of an Iranian border guard.
Both sides accuse each other of having fired first.
The incident comes amid tensions between Tehran and Kabul over the distribution of water from the Helmand River, a dam built in Afghanistan limiting the flow of water to drought-stricken Iran.
“During the clash, one person was killed on each side and several were injured,” Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafy Takor said on his Twitter account.
“The situation (is) currently under control,” he said, adding that his government “does not want a war with its neighbour. »
On Saturday morning, “Taliban forces began firing all kinds of weapons at an Iranian police station from Afghan territory,” Iranian police deputy commander General Ghassem Rezai said earlier, quoted by the official agency Irna.
The police then responded to these shots which occurred on the border of the province of Sistan-Baluchistan, in the south-east of Iran.
“After the start of the confrontation […]the police chief ordered border guards […] prevent anyone from approaching the border,” General Rezai added.
Iran, which shares a border of more than 900 km with Afghanistan, does not recognize the government formed by the Taliban.
Tehran recently warned it ‘reserved’ the right to take action to capture water from Helmand, which originates in central Afghanistan and irrigates large farmlands in the southeast from Iran.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan was “determined to fulfill its obligations” but that “inappropriate statements” made by Iran could damage ties between the two countries.