Posted on 03/15/2020 11:51:33 AM PDT by karpov
TORKHAM, Pakistan — Above the trucks and travelers lining up at the main eastern gateway between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a glinting new landmark scales the dun-colored mountains: Parallel mesh fences, a couple of feet apart and topped with coils of razor wire, climb from the border crossing up over the dizzying crags.
The section of fence overlooking Torkham is just a glimpse of a 1,600-mile barrier begun four years ago by Pakistan’s military and set to be completed this year.
Nearly 9,000 miles from President Trump’s border wall with Mexico, Pakistan has quietly been building its own version to try to control what has long been one of the world’s most porous and lawless frontiers.
The Pakistani Army credits the fence with helping to transform security in the country, sharply cutting terrorist attacks after a sustained army offensive pushed many militants — and tens of thousands of civilian refugees — into Afghanistan.
Yet the barrier is also a projection of hard power in its own right, to the detriment of diplomacy with Afghanistan and the life of Pashtun tribes that had functionally ignored the border for generations.
Afghanistan disputes the border that the fence follows, drawn by British colonial officials in 1893 and known as the Durand Line. And as the wire unfurls over hundreds of miles, it is cutting off routes through the mountains used by smugglers, militants, traders and families alike, according to interviews with government officials, tribal leaders and diplomats.
Pakistan had long considered a border barrier. But construction began in earnest in 2016, after costly army offensives to push many militants out of the country’s tribal areas and into Afghanistan.
Some 800 miles of the $450 million fence are now complete and more than 1,000 border forts are being built
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Trump’s got everybody building a wall!!
“well he did it so that means we can!”
:)
You can bet your prayer rug that the slobs who condemned Trump for the wall are not going to condemn this wall.
They will...it cuts into their drug money.
funny the animals are trying to keep out the animals
Good for the Paks.
Paki-loving Obama and ValJar have any comments on THAT wall?
Hmm??
I work for Afghanistan’s finest
And a Palestinian Who’s the 27th of 27 children
Very nice guys
Even admit Afghanistan is a big mess and the Taliban basically runs the place
You know you’re up shit creek if Pakistan wants to put in a giant barrier
Lot of mountain foot trails in the Mountains around the Khyber Pass that pass from the Tribal Areas into Afghanistan.
Walked a few of them back in the day.
Racis’!!!!! No slurpeez for you!
A fence.........
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That is funny, LOL.
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That border is one of the most rugged areas in the world.
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But they are going ot fence it off. Hilarious.
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