The Taliban’s 207th Al-Farooq Corps officials met with the Iranian border guards and discussed border issues. In a statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence said that during the meeting, the parties emphasised on resolving the tensions through diplomatic means.
The Taliban also stressed that they decided that expert groups from the two sides should determine the joint border areas of Iran and Afghanistan.
The Taliban said that the meeting took place after the Iranian side started the construction of a road on the zero points of the border with Afghanistan and the Taliban forces prevented the construction.
The Taliban statement didn’t elaborate on the location of today’s meeting with Iranian border guards, but in the photos released by the Taliban officials, only the Islamic Republic’s flag can be seen in the meeting room.
The Iranian officials have not reacted to the issue so far.
Recently, a video clip has been circulating on social media platforms which shows verbal tension between the Taliban and Iranian forces at the border areas. In the video clip, a Taliban fighter tells the Iranian soldier that if they want war, the Taliban will fight it.
The border forces of Iran and the Taliban have engaged in gun battles several times over the past two years since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan and Pakistan, as two neighbours, have always been impacted by the domestic developments of one another. The situation on the ground in Afghanistan has always had an impact on the other side of the southern borders of the country.
Even Afghans have not been left out of the consequences of trends and developments inside Pakistan.
There is a general belief in Afghanistan that Pakistan has benefited more from the turmoil and transitional nature of circumstances in Afghanistan. Perhaps for this reason, Afghan citizens pay special attention to domestic trends in Pakistan, and sometimes in their hearts, they do not seem to be sad with the negative developments in Pakistan.
The arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, and the mass protests across Pakistan, which in many cases has turned violent particularly with the protesters storming the Pakistan army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, one can easily understand the depth of the political crisis in Pakistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy for Afghanistan, has warned about Pakistan’s fundamental state institutions falling into a deep chaos.
The developments and unrest unfolding in Pakistan seem to have at least five major impacts on Afghanistan:
Firstly, the consequence of Pakistan's unrest for Afghanistan is economic. As the protests and violence mainly have taken place in areas that border Afghanistan, the export and import chain between the two countries might be impacted severely.
Secondly, the unrest and political crisis in Pakistan might increase instability on the Afghan side of the border. Most of the protesters who have appeared on the streets against Shehbaz Sharif's government and the Pakistani army and in support of Imran Khan are Pashtuns, mainly from tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. This wave of instability on the bordering areas, could significantly increase the movement of armed groups across the border into Afghanistan.
These armed groups consider the Taliban as their strategic supporter and ally, and they expect that, as they helped the Taliban during the twenty years of their insurgency against the western coalition and the Afghan government, the group will also actively and seriously support these militants in these difficult days instead of adopting a neutral policy.
Thirdly, the current instability in Pakistan will probably impact China's economic and political calculations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
China, in cooperation with Pakistan, has been pushing for ambitious economic initiatives in Afghanistan and through that to other countries in the region, especially into Central Asia. If Pakistan's unrest is not contained quickly, China will face political and even strategic uncertainty in Afghanistan too.
Fourthly, the current unrest in Pakistan might have huge impacts on Afghan refugees particularly those who are on their way towards resettlement to third countries in the West. If Western embassies reduce or suspend consular services in Pakistan due to security concerns, the processing of Afghan asylum applications will be disrupted.
Finally, Pakistan’s army and the two traditional parties in power that represents the interests of Punjab and Sindh elites approach to eliminate Khan from the political spectrum of Pakistan, and this might strengthen the separatist tendencies among the Pashtuns who support Imran Khan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the traditional base of Pakistan’s Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The failed ruling class and ruling institutions have oppressed and deprived the Pashtuns since the formation of Pakistan.
It seems that the widespread support of Imran Khan in Pakistan is rooted in the deep problems of the country and the failure of Islamabad’s elite in the past decades. Imran Khan's supporters see in him the face of a saviour who can probably save them from the current dire situation.
The strengthening of separatist tendencies can also affect a part of Afghan Pashtuns, who have hoped for separatist movements and challenging the Punjabi and Sindhi elite in Pakistan after the emergence of the Pashtun Tahafoz Movement (PTM) led by people like Manzoor Pashteen.
Tahir Zuhair, the former Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan, surrendered to the Taliban. Afghanistan International has reviewed photos that show Zuhair standing next to Taliban fighters. It is still not clear under what conditions he surrendered to the Taliban.
Tahir Zuhair had been appointed as the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan in mid-2019 and had served as the governor of Bamiyan for several years.
He stayed in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover of the country in August 2021. Zuhair was close to Sarwar Danish, the second vice-president during Ashraf Ghani’s presidency.
After Mawlawi Mehdi Mujahid, the only Hazara commander of the Taliban, parted ways with the group and formed his own armed group in Balkhab district, Zuhair joined Mujahid.
The Taliban attacked Mujahid’s base in Balkhab and captured his stronghold. Mujahid fled the area and later, in the photos circulated on social media, Zuhair was seen next to him in the mountains.
Mujahid was arrested and killed in August 2022, at the borders of Iran and Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Recently, media outlets had reported that the Taliban had arrested members of the family of Zuhair in various provinces of Afghanistan.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the seizure of 1,964 kilogrammes of heroin from a fishing vessel originating from Iran’s Chabahar port. According to the Central Command, the value of drugs seized was said to be around 80 million US dollars.
The Central Command said that on May 10, the US Coast Guard Glen Harris (WPC 1144) was operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when a boarding team discovered 1,964 kilogrammes of heroin on a vessel transiting international waters after departing Chabahar, Iran.
Earlier, Glen Harris had also seized $30 million worth of methamphetamine and heroin from another fishing vessel that departed Iranian Chabahar port.
“We’re out here to work with regional partners and disrupt any destabilising maritime activity at sea. We will continue getting after it,” said Nick Jabs, Glen Harris’ commanding officer.
The US naval forces announced that they have seized illegal drugs worth a combined estimate of US street value of more than $250 million in 2023.
This is comes even as Iranian officials recently claimed that drug smuggling from Iranian soil has increased due to production in Afghanistan.
Tomas Niklasson, the European Union Special Envoy for Afghanistan, said that in the Doha meeting, the consistent view was that the conditions for recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate government was not in place.
Niklasson added that the participants believed that engagement with the Taliban and other Afghans must continue to address shared concerns.
In a statement after his visit to Kabul, the EU special envoy stressed that issues of concerns that need to be communicated with the Taliban are security and counter-terrorism, the need for inclusive governance, upholding human rights, preventing irregular migration and human trafficking, countering narcotics production and smuggling, and stabilising the Afghan economy.
Niklasson also called on the Taliban to lift all the bans and restrictions on Afghan women. He said that the human rights situation in the country remained deeply concerning as documented in the recent reports by the UN Special Rapporteur about human rights in Afghanistan and by UNAMA.
The Doha meeting between the UN Secretary-General and special envoys of various countries had been held on May 1 and 2 in Qatar.
Ahead of the meeting, Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, had said at Princeton University that in order to prevent the deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, it is necessary to engage with the group. She had expressed hopes that the first steps of the official recognition of the Taliban would be discussed at the Doha meeting.
The statements of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations had been met with sharp criticisms from various political groups, women, and human rights organisations.
Wang Wenbin, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, on Wednesday, announced that for the first time, the Taliban has given a written pledge to not allow terrorists like the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) to operate from Afghanistan.
He said that the Taliban made the commitment during the triliteral meeting recently held in Islamabad.
He called on the Taliban to also protect the rights and interests of Afghan women and children.
Wenbin said that the Taliban must adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies.
He spoke about China’s expectations from the Taliban regarding security and said that the group must take a firmer stance on countering terrorism and strive for more tangible outcomes.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson described Beijing “as a traditionally friendly neighbour of Afghanistan” and said that China always believes that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community.
Wenbin added that the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan should be encouraged, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country should be respected.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made these remarks after the trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of China, the Taliban, and Pakistan.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, China has established close relations with the group with the aim of accessing Afghanistan's natural resources. However, due to security threats and sanctions imposed by the US and other Western governments on the Taliban, China is facing restrictions to start its mining projects in Afghanistan.
At the same time, Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, also wrote in a tweet that he met and discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Wang Yu, the Chinese ambassador in Kabul.
According to Karzai, in this meeting, the Chinese ambassador emphasised on peace and stability in Afghanistan.