Taliban takes control of major border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Taliban fighters in 2020.
(Image credit: Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images)

Taliban members successfully took control of a major border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday.

The border crossing that links Wesh, Afghanistan, with Chaman, Pakistan, is the second busiest entry point in Afghanistan and links the country to Pakistan's sea ports, with 900 trucks using the crossing every day. Afghan officials said government forces have pushed the Taliban back in Wesh, but civilians and Pakistani officials say the Taliban is in full control and has suspended travel across the border, Reuters reports.

The United States plans on finishing its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31, and over the last several months, the Taliban has been sweeping across the country, seizing key border crossings in order to collect the revenue. In recent days, the militant group has taken control of crossings in the Herat, Farah, and Kunduz provinces.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.