Iran, Afghanistan FMs discuss Herat incident

In a phone talk on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, conferred on the ways of cooperation to address the issue properly. 

Atmar noted that an Afghan delegation has started investigations on the location of the incident.

Zarif, for his part, said an Iranian delegation will also join the probes to carry on the efforts till the main cause of the incident is realized.

The sides also agreed to hold joint meetings in the Iranian city of Mashhad and the Afghan city of Herat to discuss the matter.

On May 1, some claims surfaced in media reports that Iranian border guards had tortured and thrown as many as 57 Afghans into the Hari River (Harirud) in western Herat province to prevent their illegal entry into Iran. The Khaama Press News Agency said at least 23 of them drowned in Harirud. 

Tehran has roundly rejected the claims, saying the incident took place on the Afghan side of the border and Iranian forces had no role in the incident.

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