TEHRAN – Seven Afghan border guards who had recently been arrested by Iranian border guards will be released in the near future, border police chief Hossein Zolfaqari said on Sunday.

On October 17, Iranian police announced that they had arrested seven Afghan border guards who had illegally crossed the border. The arrested Afghans had said that they had been on patrol and crossed the border by mistake.
“Seven Afghan border guards who had entered the country unintentionally and had been arrested on the Iranian soil will be released soon based on the two countries’ agreement and Iran’s goodwill,” Zolfaqari said on the sidelines of a meeting between Iranian and Afghan border officials.
Zolfaqari told reporters that Iran-Afghanistan border issues were discussed at the meeting and the two sides reached some agreements.
It was agreed that minor border issues be settled by the two sides’ border officials, he said, adding the release of the Afghan border guards is in line with the policy of closer cooperation with Afghan border police.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Zolfaqari said that illegal entry, insurgent activities across the border, and drug trafficking are three major issues facing the Iranian border guards.