A Land Of Many Borders: Afghanistan's Complex Neighborhood

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering six other countries. To the north, it is bordered by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. To the south and east, it shares a border with Pakistan, and to the west, it borders Iran. Afghanistan also has a small border section with China and India in the northeast, which is disputed as it lies in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Afghanistan's border with Pakistan

The Durand Line cuts through the traditional homeland of the Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, and divides them into two separate countries. Afghanistan has never recognised the Durand Line as its official border with Pakistan, and the border is often recognised as one of the most dangerous in the world. The Durand Line has been a source of conflict between the Pakistani army, made up mostly of Punjabis, and the Taliban, made up mostly of Pashtuns. The conflict has been exacerbated by the presence of terrorist groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out attacks on both sides of the border.

The Durand Line has also been a point of contention due to its impact on trade and the movement of people. In recent years, there have been border skirmishes and retaliatory attacks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with both sides accusing the other of harbouring terrorist groups and launching attacks across the border. The construction of a fence along the Durand Line by Pakistan, starting in 2017, has further increased tensions.

Afghanistan's border with Iran

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering six other countries. To the west of Afghanistan lies Iran, with whom it shares a 921km (572-mile) border. This border traverses a generally arid, inhospitable region with few inhabitants, except in the Zabol-Zaranj area where the main border crossing is located.

The Afghanistan-Iran border begins at the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the Harirud River before proceeding overland just to the east of the Iranian town of Taybad. The border then follows a series of short straight lines, passing through the Daryache-ye Namakzar and the Daqq-e Patergan salt lakes. The middle 'Turkish section' consists of a series of straight lines through a plain, with some mountains to the south, ending at Kuh Siah mountain, where the border veers sharply to the east. It then cuts through Hamun Lake before turning south, where it follows the Juy-e Siksar River down to the confluence with the Helmand River. The border is then formed of a long straight line segment going southwest to the tripoint with Pakistan at the Kuh-i-Malik Salih mountain.

The border between Persia and Afghanistan was formalised between 1872 and 1935 by a series of third-party arbitrations, stemming from the Treaty of Paris (1857) in which Persia and Afghanistan agreed to refer any dispute between them to Britain for arbitration. A rough delimitation was proposed in 1872 by a committee headed by Sir Frederic John Goldsmid following a line from Banda to Kuh-i-Malik Siah (a hill at the modern Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan tripoint) via the Helmand River.

The boundary itself was not disputed after 1935, however, disputes over the allocation of water resources in the region continued for many years and were not finally resolved until 1973.

In recent years, disputes over water rights have again escalated tensions between Iran and Afghanistan. The Helmand River, which flows from Afghanistan towards eastern Iran, is being dammed on the Afghan side to generate electricity and irrigate agricultural land. In 1973, a treaty was signed between the prime ministers of both nations, stating that Iran should receive a share of 820 million cubic meters of the river each year. However, in 1978, Afghanistan turned Communist following the Saur Revolution, and relations between the two countries soured. In July 1979, Hafizullah Amin announced that Afghanistan was not bound by old treaties with Iran regarding the distribution of water from the Helmand River.

In recent decades, the issue has taken a more dramatic turn. War, displacement of populations, lucrative dam buildings, disastrous water management, and the impact of climate change have all intensified the dispute. In 2023, deadly clashes broke out between Afghan and Iranian guards at their border, raising fears of a new conflict. Both sides accused each other of initiating the shooting, in which at least two Iranian and one Afghan guard were killed.

Afghanistan's border with China

Afghanistan shares a 92-kilometre-long (57-mile-long) border with China in the far northeast of the country. This border is located at the tip of the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land that extends from Afghanistan towards China, acting as a buffer between Tajikistan and Pakistan. The Wakhan Corridor is a remote and rugged region, with a high mountain valley that serves as the source of the Panj and Pamir rivers, which converge to form the larger Amu River.

The Afghanistan-China border begins at the tripoint of both countries with the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and ends at the tripoint with Tajikistan. The border follows the watershed along the Mustagh Range and is crossed by several mountain passes, including the Wakhjir Pass in the south and the Tegermansu Pass in the north. The Wakhjir Pass, which is the main crossing between the two countries, has been used for centuries as a trade route, including during the Silk Road. It is believed that the famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang travelled through this pass on his return trip to China around 649 AD.

The border area is protected on both sides, with Wakhan National Park in Wakhan District, Badakhshan Province on the Afghan side, and Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on the Chinese side. The border also marks the greatest terrestrial time zone difference on Earth, with a 3.5-hour difference between Afghanistan and China.

The Afghanistan-China border was established in an agreement between the British and the Russians in 1895 as part of the Great Game, although the official demarcation of the border did not occur until 1963 when the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the People's Republic of China agreed on the border. The border has remained closed in recent years due to civil unrest in China's Xinjiang province, which borders the corridor, and concerns about drug smuggling and terrorist activities.

Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan

Afghanistan shares a border with six countries: Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. The Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is 843 miles (1,357 km) long and runs from the tripoint with Uzbekistan in the west to the tripoint with China in the east. The border follows the Amu Darya, Pyanj, and Pamir Rivers, except for the easternmost section along the Wakhan Corridor.

The Tajikistan-Afghanistan border is known for its impressive natural barrier, with the Panj River and the mountains on either side. The border is also characterised by difficult and dangerous terrain. The border area is a major drug-smuggling route and has been the site of several incidents related to the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

The Tajikistan-Afghanistan border has several official crossing points, including the Tajikistan-Afghanistan Friendship Bridge, which connects Dushanbe with Kunduz. The border is open to foreigners, but they need a GBAO permit to enter the GBAO region of Tajikistan and a Wakhan permit if they plan to travel past Sultan Ishkashim in Afghanistan.

The border does close periodically, usually during disease outbreaks or when the Taliban pushes into the Badakhshan Province. In July 2021, many Afghan troops and civilians fled across the border after the Taliban took control of several areas. In response, the Tajik government deployed more troops to the border area.

Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan

The border starts at the tripoint with Iran on the Tedzhen River and proceeds eastwards in a series of mostly straight lines for about 90km (56 miles) until reaching the Kushk River near the Afghan town of Torghundi, which it follows southwards for a short 15km (9.3 miles) section. It then proceeds across land for 150km (93 miles) in a northwestwards direction until reaching the Murghab River, which it follows northwards for 35km (22 miles). It then continues across land northwestwards for 370km (230 miles) until reaching the Amu Darya river just to the north of the Afghan town of Khamyab. The border then follows the thalweg of this river up to the tripoint with Uzbekistan.

The Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border is the product of The Great Game in Central Asia between the British and Russian Empires. The border was inherited from the old Soviet Union-Afghan border, which largely took its current shape during the 19th century Anglo-Russian rivalry in Central Asia known as the Great Game.

Afghanistan depends on Turkmenistan for meeting a large part of the country's electricity needs. At present, Afghanistan imports more than 320 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year from Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan has also played a small but positive role in Afghanistan's development and reconstruction. Ashgabat has delivered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and forgiven much of Kabul's debt for Turkmen electrical power. Turkmenistan continues to supply Afghanistan with energy at a deep discount, and Ashgabat has reconstructed a portion of the railway that will connect the two countries.

Turkmenistan opened a major railway link to Afghanistan in 2016 to facilitate fuel exports. There are two official border crossings at Torghundi and Aqina (north of Andkhoy).

In recent years, there have been several incidents along the border connected to the ongoing conflict and instability in Afghanistan, prompting Turkmenistan to increase its military presence on the frontier.

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