Al Jazeera: Clashes erupted between Iranian soldiers and Taliban forces near the Afghanistan-Iran border, but appear to have led to no casualties and was later described as a “misunderstanding”.

Multiple videos on Wednesday showed Taliban troops mobilising. Gunfire can be heard while one shows Iranian forces firing artillery shells in response to Taliban fire.

The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim confirmed the battle in the village of Shaghalak in Hirmand county.

Tasnim, which has links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said there are walled areas on Iranian soil near the border with Afghanistan in order to combat smuggling.

Some Iranian farmers passed the walls but were still inside Iran’s border when Taliban forces opened fire, thinking its side had been violated, the report said.

The fighting was over and Iranian authorities were discussing the situation with the Taliban, it added.

Later on Wednesday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement a “misunderstanding between border residents” had caused the fighting, without naming the Taliban.

‘Complete control’
A video purportedly showed Taliban forces inside an Iranian garrison, with reports claiming several outposts were seized.

Tasnim denied the seizure of any facilities, but said “some of the published footage was for the early moments of fighting, and border forces now have complete control over the country’s borders”.

But a report by the semi-official Fars news website, which also has ties with the IRGC, made no mention of the Taliban, saying smugglers may be at fault. It said there were no casualties and the area is now calm >>>