Several Afghan women protested in Kabul and asked the international community to support women rights in Afghanistan. The Women Solidarity Group stressed that the international community’s silence regarding the violation of women's rights in Afghanistan is "shameful".
The female protesters also said that Afghanistan should not be allowed to become a safe haven for terrorists.
The group sent a video to Afghanistan International and said, "Schools have not been opened for girls for a year. We want our rights."
The protesting women asked the Taliban not to politicize education and not to discriminate between men and women.
They said, "Our demand is that you don't differentiate between men and women in terms of education, work and social activities.”
The Women Solidarity Group called on all human rights groups to stand together and protest against the strict policies of the Taliban.
In their protest, the women said that the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in Kabul, shows that the Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a safe haven for terrorists.
Reactions have been pouring in after the United States killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in the capital Kabul, on Sunday. Many former Afghan diplomats and government officials have highlighted how the reports showcase Taliban’s links with al-Qaeda.
Amrullah Saleh, former vice-president of Afghanistan, tweeted, “Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan and Zawahiri killed in GHQ occupied Kabul.”
Masoud Andarabi, former minister of Interior, said that the killing of al-Zawahiri in Kabul shows the deep relationship between the Taliban and regional and international terrorists. “There is a serious need to form a global consensus against the current rulers in Kabul, who have hosted these terrorists since the past, to curb the threat of terrorism and extremism, and to save the Afghan people from their captivity,” he added.
Former army general of the Republic era, Sayed Sami Sadat, cautioned that al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul is only the tip of iceberg. “Like him, there are many other terror leaders in Afghanistan, central Asian terror groups, Pakistanis, Indians and many others today enjoy full security and support from Taliban in Afghanistan,” he added.
He said that the world today is at much greater risk then pre-9/11 attacks as these terrorist groups know to survive, revive and re-establish themselves and the overall umbrella organization for all these terror groups is Taliban just like in 2001. He stressed that Taliban still has ties with the al-Qeada and Afghanistan is again being used by terrorists against Middle East, Israel, Saudi, India and Central Asia along with the EU and US.
The main opposition front to the Taliban, National Resistance Front, also took the opportunity to call out the deteriorating security situation in the country under the Taliban rule. Maisam Nazary, Head of Foreign Relations for NRF, said, “Afghanistan today is once again a sanctuary for the al-Qaeda. The only group continuing the global war on terror is the NRF without any support and assistance.”
The former National Security Advisor of the country, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, also reacted to the reports and criticised the Taliban for still maintaining relations with international terrorist organisations. “Taliban rule was and is structurally and ideologically intertwined with international terrorist networks. As long as Taliban exist as a military movement, this connection will be reproduced and continued. Our strategy must not aim at refining terror, but at democratizing politics,” he said.
He called on the European Union (EU), to free itself from the illusion of the Doha Agreement and the failed diplomats.
Tamim Asey, former deputy defense minister of Afghanistan, said, “Taliban 1.0 harboured Osama Bin Laden who carried out 9/11 attacks. Taliban 2.0 harboured al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul who threatened US and the West. A significant number of al-Qaeda and other terror outfit members still live in their guesthouses. So, much for the Taliban changing its narrative.”
Rahmatullah Nabil, former chief of Afghanistan's intelligence, too highlighted the close proximity of Zawahiri’s hideout in Kabul with senior Taliban leaders. He wrote on his Twitter, "Al-Qaeda leaders are housed in Shirpur/Wazir Akbar Khan, near the guest houses of Taliban's interior minister and the deputy chief of intelligence." He added that the Taliban is losing out on gaining international community’s trust due to such actions.
Afghan journalists are also pointing out to the facts on ground. Bilal Sarwary wrote on his Twitter account, “As per my sources, certain Taliban ministers like minister of higher education and others are calling for a state level funeral for Zawahiri, while others like Taliban FM Muttaqi are opposing it. Taliban interior and defence ministers were not in meeting.” He also quoted a source as saying that Zawahiri was relocated to Kabul from Pakistan by Aziz Haqqani.
BBC journalist Yalda Hakim stated that locals living in the area where the air strike took place are wary of the consequences, especially after Taliban condemned the attack. She quoted a local journalist who spoke to the people on the neighbourhood and tweeted, “Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen non-Afghan residents in our neighbourhood. They don’t speak the local languages. We don’t know who they are. The neighbourhood is protected by the Taliban. We used to call this neighbourhood the green zone and apparently it is still the green zone for people like Zawahiri. We cannot believe we are living right next to the most dangerous people on earth.”
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of Iran, announced that the Taliban has promised to supply Iran's share of water from the Helmand River. Abdollahian said that a delegation from the Ministry of Energy of Iran will visit Kabul to negotiate the water issue.
Iran's foreign minister raised the water issue on Thursday during a telephone conversation with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban.
Abdollahian has put pressure on the Taliban not to violate Iran's right to Helmand waters.
This senior Iranian diplomat had warned the group last month that Tehran would take legal measures if the Taliban does not provide Iran's water rights.
Abdollahian had said, "The full supply of Iran's water rights from the Helmand River plays a decisive role in our strategic policy towards the Taliban government in Afghanistan."
The semi-official Fars news agency stated that Iran and Afghanistan have been caught in a long-term water dispute, which has prevented understanding the vast potential of bilateral trade relations.
Kabul and Tehran signed a water sharing agreement on the Helmand River in 1973, according to which Afghanistan committed to deliver an average of 820 million cubic meters of water to Iran on an annual basis.
Iran has repeatedly criticized Afghanistan for not complying with the terms of the agreement.
The US State Department in a statement announced that the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement by sheltering the leader of the Al-Qaeda in Kabul. It added that the Taliban had betrayed the people of Afghanistan and their own stated desire of recognition from the world.
The statement further elaborated that in the face of the Taliban’s unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, the US will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls.
The US State Department said, " The world is a safer place following the death of Zawahiri, and the United States will continue to act resolutely against those who would threaten our country, our people, or our allies and partners.”
On Sunday, residents of Kabul heard a loud explosion. The Taliban announced that a missile landed at an empty house in Shirpur area in district 10 of Kabul, and there were no casualties, but on Monday, the Taliban spokesman admitted that the explosion was caused by a US drone strike.
Later, US President Joe Biden announced on Monday evening, that Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in an airstrike by American forces in Kabul.
According to the US State Department, with the operation in Kabul city that led to the death of the al-Qaeda leader, United States has fulfilled its commitment and will continue to do so in the future in the face of any threats.
Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said that the Taliban forces are not aware of the exact areas within their border lines. According to Kanani, the Taliban forces' actions cause misunderstandings and sometimes border clashes.
During a press conference in Tehran, Kanani asked the Taliban officials to make sure to educate their border guards about the border lines between the two countries.
Taliban and Iranian border guards clashed on Sunday in Darwish area of Kang district of Nimroz province.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that two members of the Taliban were killed in the clashes.
A border commander of the Taliban confirmed the death of one of his men yesterday, but the governor of Hirmand city in Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province said that the clashes between the two sides ended without casualties.
According to Kanani, "Iran's border guard forces, have authority over the region and the international borders of the two countries. They pay close attention to issues, carefully monitor border movements, and protect border security."
So far, the Taliban has not reacted to the border clashes in Nimroz province.
Amrullah Saleh, former vice-president of Afghanistan, said that Pakistan has targetted the residence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders in Kabul.
According to Saleh, the bombing took place after some in the leadership of TTP did not heed to Pakistani cleric delegation’s warnings.
Last week, a delegation of Pakistani clerics, led by Mufti Usmani, visited Kabul and met Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of TTP.
Saleh said that the Pakistan Air Force has directly attacked targets in Kabul for the first time since 1947.
Saleh added that it is not feasible to identify the type of rocket and its launch device because, according to him, the Haqqani network is in possession of the area, as the operational arm of Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's intelligence agency.
However, earlier, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former intelligence chief of Afghanistan, quoted his sources as saying that on Sunday morning American drones appeared in the airspace of Kabul and attacked different parts of the city. According to Nabil, based on the Doha agreement, the US supports the Taliban in suppressing Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K) in Afghanistan.
Abdul Nafe Takor, the spokesperson of the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, said that Sunday's explosion was caused by a rocket landing at an empty house in Shirpur area of district 10 in Kabul.