Diplomat: Iranian Guards Not Involved in Fatal Afghan Border Incident
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Investigations conducted by Tehran indicate that Iranian border guards were not engaged in a May incident that led to the deaths of Afghan migrants trying to cross into Iran illegally, a deputy foreign minister said.
In an interview with IRNA, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs Mohsen Baharvand said the fatal incident at Harirud that occurred in early May was a result of “illegal crossings” along the common border between Iran and Afghanistan.
“Our investigations do not confirm that the incident at Harirud was caused by the Iranian border guards’ intervention,” the diplomat said.
Afghanistan has closed down its border posts because of focusing on the fight against terrorism, Baharvand noted, saying the closures have reduced its control over the border.
“This would cause the people to fall victim to traffickers and face many problems,” he added.
Pointing to his recent visit to Afghanistan, the deputy foreign minister said the Afghan officials have provided Iran with a series of photos and interviews.
Late last month, an Iranian delegation led by Baharvand visited Kabul to hold talks with senior Afghan officials on the border incident.
In early May, Afghan news media claimed that about 50 Afghan migrants crossing into Iran illegally had been beaten and thrown into a river.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman affirmed later that the incident had taken place on Afghan soil, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Border Police has denied that any happening in relation to this has taken place on the soil of our country.”
