“Gunfights Break out on Iran-Afghanistan Border Over Scarce Drinking Water Access”

Gunfights have broken out between the Taliban and Iranian border guards on the Iran-Afghanistan border. The immediate cause of the shooting is unclear. The two neighboring countries are embroiled in a long-running conflict over access to scarce drinking water.

Iranian authorities accuse the Taliban of an “unprovoked attack” on a border post in the eastern Zabol district. The Afghans have suffered heavy losses, a commander of Iran’s national police told state media.

The Afghan Taliban government says that Iran was the first to open fire today. According to the Afghan reading, two people were killed, one on each side. The situation is now under control.

A local human rights organization reports that residents have fled the violence. The shelling included in Afghanistan’s Kang district, which borders Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan provinces.

Given the high tensions between the two countries, the shooting is not entirely unexpected. Iranian President Raisi recently warned the Taliban that Iran has a right to water from the Helmand River, which flows largely through Afghanistan.

The Taliban regime calls on fighters to take a stand against Iran. “We are not slaves, our leader Mullah Yaqoob will rise against Iran,” is sung in a recently widely shared video from the Taliban. Yaqoob is defense minister and son of the first Taliban leader.

Despite the war rhetoric, talks are also taking place between the two regimes. The Afghan Foreign Minister met with an Iranian delegation this weekend. It is hoped for a diplomatic solution to the problem.

Both countries suffer from persistent drought and claim the water from the Helmand. As a result of global warming and increasing weather extremes, access to drinking water is a growing problem.