Torkham border crossing
Torkham border crossing (Urdu, Persian, and Pashto: تورخم Tūrkham) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of Afghanistan with Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is the busiest port of entry between the two countries, serving as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site.
Torkham border crossing
تورخم باڈر کراسنگ | |
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View of Torkham Valley | |
Torkham, Peshawar, Kabul and some cities in pakistan and afghanistan | |
Torkham border crossing Location in Afghanistan and Pakistan Torkham border crossing Torkham border crossing (Pakistan) | |
| Coordinates: 34°6′53″N 71°5′5″E | |
| Countries | Pakistan Afghanistan |
| Elevation | 2,579 ft (786 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 UTC+05:00 |
| Control | Taliban Pakistan |
Highway 7 connects Torkham to Kabul through Jalalabad. On the Pakistani side, the border crossing is at the end of the N-5 National Highway, which connects it to Peshawar in the east via the Khyber Pass and further connects it to Islamabad by other routes.
The Afghan Border Police and Pakistan's Frontier Corps are the main agencies for controlling Torkham. They are backed by the Pakistani and Afghan Armed Forces. Torkham belongs to the Momand Dara district of Nangarhar.
On 15 August 2021, Torkham was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the second border crossing with Pakistan to be captured by Taliban as part of wider 2021 Taliban offensive. As a response, Pakistan temporarily closed the border crossing.