Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan today leaving an estimated 10,000 refugees stranded in the desert with no food or medicine.
The border town of Torkham at the top of the Khyber Pass was tense as Taliban members installed anti-aircraft guns pointing at Pakistan.
Angry Taliban border guards also pelted foreign journalists' cars with stones.
Mr Mohammed Sabir (20) a student from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, said the refugees were in a poor condition.
"There are no facilities except for a water tank. There is no food. There is disease but no medicines. Police are beating people back at the border. They are even hitting old women."
Shakirullah (30) an Afghan businessman, said: "The refugees are upset and unhappy. They are saying we are poor people, why do the Americans want to kill us?"
He added that the vast majority of Afghans had not seen the film of last week's terrorist attacks and had little idea of their scale. Television is illegal in Afghanistan.
Most Afghans do not have visa and other papers which are necessary to cross the border.
The Taliban installed anti-aircraft guns at the border after vowing to wage war on any neighbouring country that helped American forces attack Afghanistan.
A government official said: "These guns are pointing at Pakistan. This may not mean much in military terms but it is very symbolic."