Taliban takes control of major border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan
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 has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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