Afghan, Pakistani border guards clash

Afghan and Pakistani border guards have clashed near the controversial Durand Line and one Afghan guard has been killed and two Pakistani guards have been wounded, sources from both sides say.

According to Afghan and Pakistani officials, an exchange of fire erupted late on Wednesday. The fighting lasted for more than two hours.

A senior Afghan official said hundreds of additional Afghan troops were sent to a disputed border gate after the clashes.

A Pakistani military source said the clashes were sparked by an attack on a Pakistani border checkpost. However, the Afghan official said the exchange of fire erupted after Pakistani troops attempted to fortify the border gate.

Pakistan has recently been building a military gate, which Afghan officials say is in the Afghan territory.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered his top officials to take immediate action to remove the gate and other Pakistani military installations near the Durand Line.

Pakistan recognizes the Durand Line, the 1893 British-mandated border between the two neighbors, but Afghanistan says that activity by either side along the Durand Line must be approved by both countries.