Attacks in Badakhshan Province Sings of Intra-group Violence Among Taliban, Says NRF

Imankulov suggested to secretaries of the security council of the CSTO member states to focus on the situation of Afghanistan.

Kyrgyz media reported on Friday that in this meeting, the challenges and threats facing the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the necessary measures to prevent them have been discussed.

The CSTO senior security officials agreed to expand cooperation in the framework of CSTO in order to increase the treaty’s political-military effectiveness in the region.

The Committee of Secretaries of the Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation too approved a new regulation on regional counterterrorism operations.

Earlier, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation had expressed concerns about the threats emanating from Afghanistan.

“We pulled back the India-based diplomats and staff after the Taliban took control of Kabul. At that time we had legitimate security concerns. With the passage of time, we have sent back a technical team to the Embassy. Their job is essentially to monitor the situation and to see how we can support the Afghan people,” Jaishankar said.

He added that right now India is not stressing on the “political issues” there and instead on the humanitarian crisis prevailing in the country as it had faced a vaccine shortage, wheat shortage and even medicine shortage recently.

Commenting on India's relationship with the Taliban, Jaishankar said that our priority is to help the Afghan people because "we have historical relations with the people of Afghanistan”.

India had deployed a technical team at their embassy in Kabul in June this year, however, their stance on recognition of the Taliban still remains the same.

Mohammad Nabi Mullahworor, a Taliban military official, said that the purpose of these exercises was to for more “military experience" of the Taliban forces.

Mullahworor stressed that these trainings have been conducted by “professional” trainers in Zaranj city of Nimroz province.

These trainings are conducted by the Taliban as there was a border skirmish that took place between Iranian and Taliban border guards in Nimroz province and Iranian border guards used heavy weapons and artillery in attacking Taliban positions.

Nimroz, which is on the border with Iran, has witnessed several armed clashes between the Taliban and Iran.

He said that it would be another horrendous step backward for the people of Afghanistan. The UN spokesperson emphasised that the Taliban’s ban will have negative impacts on Afghan women, girls, youth, and for the future of Afghanistan.

The Taliban has not officially announced the ban on the educational activities of non-governmental organisations. However, Wahidullah Hashemi, head of international relations of the Taliban Ministry of Education, said in an audio tape that was provided to Afghanistan International, that foreign organisations have been issued a one-month timeline to stop their projects in the education sector.

According to him, this order has been communicated verbally to these organisations.

Dujarric too said in a news conference in New York that the Taliban has not yet officially informed the United Nations about imposing a ban on the operations of the UN agencies in the education sector.

He added that the UN officials in Afghanistan are in contact with the Taliban to ascertain what is being planned by the group.

Mohammad Ershad Ahmadi, a Taliban official in the electricity department of Kandahar, said that due to the increase in the water level and capacity of turbines in the Kajaki dam, the department supplies 24 hours electricity to Kandahar city now.

Recently, amid tensions between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic over the water rights issue from the Helmand River, Taliban officials had claimed that the Kamal Khan Dam does not have enough water to cross a distance of over 600 kilometers to reach Iran.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s foreign minister, on May 22, said that the group is committed to providing Iran’s water right according to the 1973 agreement, but the drought in the region must be considered too.

In response, Iranian officials had asked the Taliban to let an Iranian expert team assess the water levels inside Afghanistan.

Some of the Taliban officials, including Sher Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, had responded that dams are considered sensitive sites in Afghanistan and the Taliban will not allow Iranian experts to visit these sites.