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ISLAMABAD, Tuesday (AFP)

Pakistan Tuesday said it had closed its border to Afghan refugees as thousands tried to flee the country ahead of a possible US military attack.

"We have heightened our vigil at the border. We are also keeping a vigil on any suspect," foreign ministry spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told a news conference.

"Our major worry is that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are fleeing their homes and thousands have gathered" at Pakistan's northwestern Torkham and southwestern Chaman border posts, he said.

The border closure was aimed at preventing "an exodus of Afghans," he said, adding that Pakistan already hosted more than a million Afghans.

The spokesman reiterated that people holding valid travel documents would face no restrictions at the border.

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