Anti-Taliban Hazara Leader Surrenders To Group in Northern Afghanistan

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.

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.

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.

May 9 is the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, and Russia and the former Soviet Union member states hold a ceremony to commemorate the day every year.

The biggest ceremony to commemorate May 9 was held in Moscow.

Meanwhile, the Russian cultural center in Kabul had also organised a round table with the presence of Afghans to commemorate this day.

The Russian embassy in Kabul said that the country’s Afghan friends held a round table in honour of the “Victory Day”.

The two anti-Taliban fronts issued separate statements announcing their operations against the Taliban.

According to NRF, in their operations in Kapisa, four Taliban members had been injured too.

NRF added that in another operation in Sarai Sang, in the center of Takhar province, its forces killed the senior Taliban commander in charge of investigations.

AFF said that its forces have conducted their operation in Breshankot, in district 7 of Kabul city, and along with the dead Taliban members, the front wounded two other Taliban members.

The Taliban has not reacted to the statements of NRF and AFF.

It seems that the anti-Taliban fronts have started a new wave of attacks against the Taliban forces.

On Monday, NRF had claimed that eight Taliban fighters had been killed, and 15 others were wounded in a clash in Khost Baghlan district. The front confirmed that they had lost four of their fighters in the skirmish too.