Islam Times - Iran Calls On Taliban Officials to Take 'Serious Action' after Border Incident

Islam Times - Iran has called on the caretaker Taliban government in Afghanistan to take "serious action" after the killing of an Iranian border guard near the common border.

The border guard, identified as Mohammad Sayyad, was martyred in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan on Tuesday night, when a gang of armed thugs entered the area from across the border.

The attackers fled the area immediately after the encounter, which occurred in the Milak area of the Hirmand county of Sistan and Baluchestan.

“Officials in Afghanistan’s acting [Taliban] government are expected to take serious action to clarify the aspects of the issue, punish the perpetrators, and take necessary measures to prevent similar incidents,” Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Kan’ani, the dimensions of the tragic incident are being investigated by Iranian authorities and the results of the investigation will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

He also offered his condolences to the family of the slain border guard and all other Iranian border guards.

Tehran has called for joint efforts with Kabul to secure the joint border areas amid intermittent clashes at Iran-Afghanistan border crossings in recent months.

Foreign Ministry in April said the border guards have a responsibility to prevent any illegal trespassing at the border with Afghanistan.

“We were prepared to give the necessary training to the Afghan border guards on the demarcated border and so on,” former spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at the time, adding that the recurrence of border skirmishes is a "matter of grace concern" for Tehran.