Chaman border crossing

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Chaman Border Crossing
چمن بارڈر کراسنگ
Chaman City.jpg
Chaman Border Gate between Afghanistan and Pakistan
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Chaman Border Crossing
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Chaman Border Crossing
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Chaman Border Crossing
Coordinates: 30°55′20″N66°26′41″E / 30.92222°N 66.44472°E / 30.92222; 66.44472
CountriesFlag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Flag of the Taliban.svg Afghanistan
Provinces Balochistan
Kandahar
Districts Chaman
Spin Boldak
ControlFlag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Flag of the Taliban.svg Taliban
Time zone UTC+5 (PST)
U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force at the time, is meeting with Pakistani army Lt. Gen. Khalid Wynne, commander of Southern Command, at the Friendship Gate border crossing, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. Khalid Wynne.JPG
U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force at the time, is meeting with Pakistani army Lt. Gen. Khalid Wynne, commander of Southern Command, at the Friendship Gate border crossing, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.

The Chaman border crossing is one of the major international border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Located on the Pak-Afghan border, it leads north from the town of Chaman, Chaman District, Balochistan into Wesh, Afghanistan in Spin Boldak District, Kandahar province. More generally, it links the two provincial capitals: Quetta and Kandahar.

Contents

At least 10,000 peoples cross this border on a daily basis for businesses in Wesh, Afghanistan and return home in the evening. [1]

On 14 July 2021, the Afghan side of the border crossing was captured by Taliban forces as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive. [2]

A brick, double-arched Friendship Gate, rising three stories tall, was erected in 2003. The gate facing towards Balochistan bears the words "Proud Pakistani" and "Pakistan First". [3] [4] [5]

The official hours of the border crossing run from morning to sunset. [5]

On early morning of 15 October, 2025, the border crossing was destroyed by Taliban forces during Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict as per Pakistani claim [6] . The fighting that led to its destruction initially started on 9 October, 2025, after Pakistan bombed Afghanistan's capital Kabul that resulted in the killing of 2 senior Pakistani Taliban terrorists [7] . This then escalated massively after Taliban launched an offensive against Pakistan on the night of 11 October [8]

United States military presence

The Wesh-Chaman border crossing has been used by international forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan as part of a major supply route stretching from the Port of Karachi to Kandahar, [9] with roughly 60 to 100 trucks traversing Chaman daily. [3]

On January 18, 2010, ISAF commander General Stanley A. McChrystal visited the site after discussing the crossing's efficiency with Pakistani authorities. [10] A US-run Forward operating base (FOB) was located in Spin Boldak, which monitored the border crossing along with the Afghan Border Police and the Afghan National Army.

References

  1. ↑ Akhtar, Saadullah. "Thousands of Afghans enter Pakistan via Chaman border crossing". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Sediqi, Abdul; Hakimi, Orooj (14 July 2021). "Afghan Taliban seize border crossing with Pakistan in major advance". Reuters. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 Mekhennet, Souad; Oppel, Richard A. (4 February 2010). "Even Where Pakistani Law Exists, Taliban Find a Porous Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Rizvi, Muddassir (9 December 2003). "Suspicion of Pakistan runs deep". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 10 December 2003. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 Giovanni, Janine Di (10 June 2008). "Pakistan's Phantom Border". Vanity Fair . Retrieved 26 November 2023. Note: Photograph of gate by Alex Majoli on p. 1 of story; account of visit on p. 5.
  6. ↑ Dawn.com, Tahir Khan | (15 October 2025). "Security forces repel attack along Balochistan border, 15-20 Afghan Taliban killed: ISPR". Dawn. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Khattak, Daud (10 October 2025). "In 'Dangerous' Escalation, Pakistani Drone Strikes Kill Two Senior Taliban Members In Kabul". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Hussain, Yashraj Sharma,Abid. "Pakistani, Afghan forces exchange deadly border fire: What's next?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Roggio, Bill (9 September 2009). "Chaman border crossing closed to NATO traffic". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "US troops surge in Afghanistan McChrystal inspects Chaman point to quicken equipment shipments". Pakistan Observer newspaper. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

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