Afghan Women Are True Heroes, Says US Official

Nabil, who was speaking on the sidelines of the "Herat Security Dialogue" in Tajikistan, said that during the US-Taliban Doha Agreement in 2020, there was a lot of publicity that the Taliban had changed in comparison to the group’s past in the 1990s and has cut ties with regional and international terrorists and recognises women's rights.

However, Nabil stressed that during the past year, it is clearly visible that the Taliban did not make any fundamental changes in their views and actions.

The former spy chief of Afghanistan said that the countries participating in the "Herat Security Dialogue" conference have reached a mutual understanding that if the situation in Afghanistan becomes more fragile, it will be a threat to the region and beyond.

He called this meeting positive and expressed hope that "we can find a common path and a common language between the people of Afghanistan, the region, and the international community so that it can be used as a roadmap for the next meetings”.

Taliban officials have repeatedly prevented female journalists from attending news conferences and such meetings in the past.

According to the Taliban’s restrictive policies, female TV presenters in local Afghan media have not been allowed to appear in TV programmes without wearing masks.

At the meeting, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah, the Minister of Information and Culture of the Taliban, asked the Afghan media representatives to adjust their activities that benefit the Taliban regime and the people of Afghanistan.

The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan media and journalists, and they have not been allowed to publish independent reports.

Afghan local media are not allowed to report human rights violations and the dire situation of Afghan citizens.

At the same time, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group has been focused on strengthening the Afghan media and standardised their activities.

The explosion occurred during noon prayers and local sources said that the death toll is much higher than that announced by the Taliban.

In the pictures from ground zero that Afghanistan International has received, several dead bodies and wounded people can be seen.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The EU delegation has mentioned that the World Food Programme (WFP) is its partner in providing food to Afghans.

WFP had previously announced that it would help 15 million Afghans in need of support this year.

The United Nations and many international relief organisations have predicted that this year’s winter will be "difficult" for Afghan citizens.

With the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, the majority of Afghan citizens have lost their jobs and many have migrated to regional countries due to the difficult economic and political situation in Afghanistan.

According to the Taliban's foreign ministry, the Pakistani delegation has emphasised on solving the problems of Afghan immigrants and said that the two countries should cooperate on the issue.

The Pakistani embassy in Kabul has also published a statement as saying that Rabbani met with a number of senior Taliban officials in Kabul and has discussed bilateral issues including education, health, trade and investment, regional connectivity, and economic projects.

Hina Rabbani and a delegation of Pakistani officials arrived in Kabul on Tuesday. Earlier, a Pakistani diplomat had stressed that Rabbani will discuss the opening of girls’ schools with the Taliban.

Abdul Latif Nazari, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Economy, along with the Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul, had received the Pakistani delegation at the Kabul airport.