Despite ongoing aggression by Pakistan’s military regime on Afghan territory, Pakistani militias stationed along the disputed Durand Line have been firing on passenger vehicles and civilians in the Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal districts of Nuristan province. As a result, the main roads in these districts have been closed.
Local officials in Nuristan say Pakistani forces are shooting at civilians from their security posts along the so-called line and are preventing people from traveling on these routes.
Fereydoun Samim, spokesperson for the Nuristan governor, said: “The brutal soldiers of Pakistan’s regime are unable to confront our forces directly, so they often target civilians. In this context, they attack vehicles traveling on the roads of Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal, which has led to the closure of these routes to the public.”
Meanwhile, the Nuristan governor stated that in order to address people’s problems, the Paprook Kotal route has been cleared of snow to facilitate travel for residents of these districts and will soon be opened for use.
Zain-ul-Abidin Abid said: “I assure the people of Nuristan, especially those in Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal, that this route will be connected in the coming days.”
Due to gunfire by Pakistani militias on the Kamdesh–Barg-e-Matal road, a female doctor and her young son were killed, while her husband was injured.
Local residents strongly condemned these actions, saying that Pakistan’s military forces have become increasingly aggressive and must be given a firm response.
According to them, instead of relying only on the Paprook Kotal alternative route, the government should work to reopen the main road and prevent Pakistani forces from blocking it and targeting Afghan civilians.
A resident of Kamdesh district said: “Our people are facing many problems, even shortages of food. We call on the government and leaders to pay attention and reopen the roads as soon as possible.”
With the reopening of the Paprook route, residents of these districts will temporarily be able to connect to Parun, the provincial center of Nuristan. However, they stress that Pakistani militias must be restrained so that the main routes of Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal can be fully reopened.
Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal are among the districts whose transportation routes have been under attack by Pakistan’s military regime since the beginning of the conflict, with residents often denied safe passage.
