Chaman border closed for 'indefinite period' following clashes.

KARACHI -- Tensions are running high between Pakistani and Afghan border forces after Islamabad shut its southwestern border with Afghanistan for cross-border movement for an "indefinite period," officials and media reported on Monday.

The Chaman border - also known as Friendship Gate -, which connects Pakistan's Balochistan province to Afghanistan's Kandahar province, was closed after an armed Afghan reportedly crossed into Pakistan's border and opened fire on the security troops, martyring a soldier and injuring another two on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner Chaman, Abdul Hameed Zehri, told reporters.

The attack was followed by hours-long firing between Pakistani and Afghan border troops, prompting the closure of the key trade border between the two neighbours.

Zehri said the border will remain closed until the handing over of the suspected attacker. The two security forces, he added, are holding restraint since the firing was halted on Sunday night.

'The two sides are holding another round of flagship meeting today (Monday) to resolve the issue as we stick to our demand of handing over of the attacker,' a security official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he was not permitted to speak on the...