Taliban Official Says ‘Dostum Can’t Live in Afghanistan Without Foreign Support’

West said on Twitter that the meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, West also met with Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace Affairs, and discussed the importance of the UN’s role in protecting the rights of Afghans, and establishing an inclusive government.

West has also met with Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, and discussed the shared interests of the two countries in the economic stability and empowerment of Afghan women.

Apart from this, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan met with Vladimir Norov, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan.

West stressed that Uzbekistan's role in delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has been vital.

However, according to other sources, at least seven people have been killed and 14 people have been injured in this explosion. According to these sources, three dead and 11 injured were transferred to Esteqlal hospital and four dead and 11 other injured were transferred to Aliabad hospital.

The Taliban has not provided more details about the explosion.

The spokesperson of the Taliban police said that the security teams of have reached the area and investigation has started.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet.

Bagram airfield, which is located in Parwan province, was the main military base of the US-led forces for the past 20 years.

The Taliban's Ministry of Defense said that before leaving Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, American forces had destroyed all the facilities of the Bagram airfield.

Bagram airfield has three large hangars, a control tower, several support buildings, and 130,000 square meters of flight space.

George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump were the three US presidents, who have visited Bagram airfield in the last two decades.

In the meeting, West, however, has expressed "grave concerns" about the violation of the fundamental freedom of Afghans by the Taliban.

According to a statement released by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Zardari told West in New York that "a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is a priority for Pakistan”.

The statement said that Pakistan's Foreign Minister emphasised on Pakistan's efforts to facilitate a regional consensus on Afghanistan.

Both sides have also stressed on providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan said in this meeting that failure to address humanitarian issues and poverty in Afghanistan can lead to a mass migration of refugees from Afghanistan.

The US special representative for Afghanistan Tom West on Twitter said that during the meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister, he discussed joint efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

West added that during this meeting, he expressed his deep concern about the violation of the basic rights and freedoms of Afghan citizens by the Taliban.

The US Special Representative has also stressed on the fact that the Taliban must fulfil its commitments to not harbour terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

A senior Taliban official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Afghanistan International that the group's new education minister has not even received basic education. The high-ranking Taliban official added, "The appointment [of Habibullah Agha] is a setback for some Taliban leaders who have made little efforts to reopen girls' secondary schools."

The Taliban on Wednesday announced a list of Cabinet and senior government appointments by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of this group.

According to the decree, Mawlawi Habibullah Agha, the head of the provincial ulema council of Kandahar, has been appointed as the acting minister of education of the Taliban.

Nurullah Monib, who was the Taliban's Minister of Education, has now been appointed as the head of the Taliban's Dar al-Afta.

After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, the group ordered closure of secondary schools for girls across Afghanistan.