Pakistan Closes Roads to Two Nuristan Districts Amid Clashes and Shelling

Pakistan has closed roads leading to Kamdesh and Barg-i-Matal districts in eastern Nuristan province amid ongoing clashes and shelling, causing severe food shortages after about 20 days of restricted access, residents and local sources said.

Local sources reported that Pakistani attacks in the two districts killed about 40 Taliban members, though the figure has not been confirmed by official sources. In response, the Taliban dispatched two kandaks of reinforcements from other parts of Nuristan to the area to prevent the districts from being depleted of forces, the sources added. Local Taliban officials are attempting to open an alternative route for traffic, according to Mr. Samim.

Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Pakistani forces shelled a civilian vehicle in the Baghche area of Kamdesh district, causing a female doctor named Sahar and her four-year-old son Mihan to fall into a river and die. He said their bodies were recovered later that afternoon by local residents and Taliban members after continued shelling delayed access.

A Pakistani official told reporters that the country's security forces have taken control of several high and strategic border posts in areas including Kurram, Angoor Adda and parts of Balochistan to prevent cross-border infiltration and secure vulnerable areas. The official emphasized that the moves were not aimed at seizing Afghan territory. Previously, Rana Sanaullah, senior advisor to the Pakistani prime minister, said Pakistan neither seeks war nor intends to occupy any part of Afghanistan.

Residents warned that continued road closures could lead to a humanitarian disaster within one to two weeks. One local source expressed concerns that local Salafi tendencies and dissatisfaction among some religious scholars with Taliban suppression could increase the risk of ISIS infiltration in the districts.