Taliban Announces Return of Over 2000 Afghan Refugees from Iran

Aug 24, 2023, 15:29 GMT+1

The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced on Thursday that 2,589 Afghan refugees entered Afghanistan from Iran through the Islam Qala border.

These people have been registered with the representative office of the International Organisation for Migration to receive humanitarian support.

Officials of the Ministry of Refugees of the Taliban recently announced that more than 952,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Iran, Pakistan, and some other countries in the past year.

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Killed Two Taliban Members & Injured Five Others in Kabul, Claims AFF

Aug 24, 2023, 12:10 GMT+1

The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that the front’s forces killed two members and wounded another five members of the Taliban at the Kabul-Parwan control gate.

Local sources confirmed the exchange of fire in the area too.

AFF said that its forces launched an attack on the Taliban positions located at the Kabul-Parwan gate last night.

Taliban officials have not reacted to AFF’s claim.

This front said that its forces had not been harmed in the attack. In a video clip released by the AFF, sounds of exchange of gunfire can be heard.

In recent weeks, AFF and the National Resistance Front have increased their attacks against the Taliban across northern provinces of Afghanistan.

Thousands of Applicants Storm Taliban’s Passport Office in Herat

Aug 24, 2023, 11:41 GMT+1

Thousands of people showed up at the Taliban’s passport office in Herat city on Thursday after the group announced it’s decision to speed up the distribution of passports in the province.

Taliban officials said that based on the new decision, the group will issue passports to 1,000 applicants in Herat city daily.

Residents of Herat sent photos to Afghanistan International on Thursday which depict a massive crowd outside the Taliban’s passport office in the western city.

According to the report of the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar news agency, Noor Ahmad Islamjar the group’s governor in Herat had made the announcement regarding the increase in the distribution of passports in Herat on Wednesday while inaugurating the new passport office headquarters.

Islamjar said that after this, up to 1,000 passports will be distributed in Herat every day. Bakhtar news agency reported that the increase in the distribution of passports in Herat had been ordered by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister.

Local Taliban officials said that previously, 250-300 passports were issued daily in Herat.

Local sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that before this, the Taliban only issued passports to people with health issues.

In the past few months, the Taliban has stopped the process of distributing passports in different provinces of Afghanistan several times. However, local sources previously told Afghanistan International that the sale of passports in the black market continued at exorbitant prices "from two to four thousand dollars per passport".

With the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the increase in migration of Afghans, the number of applicants applying for passports has increased dramatically across the country.

Taliban Confirms Death of Afghan Female YouTuber Hora Sadat in Kabul

Aug 24, 2023, 10:38 GMT+1

The Taliban confirmed the death of Afghan YouTuber Hora Sadat. Khalid Zadran, the spokesperson of the Taliban police in Kabul, said that Sadat was killed in District 18 of Kabul.

According to reports, Sadat had been mysteriously killed three days ago.

On Thursday, Zadran also said that the group’s forces have arrested three people on charges of murder of the female Afghan YouTuber.

The Taliban official said that the investigation into the death of this YouTuber is still ongoing.

After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, mysterious murders of women have increased across Afghanistan.

Islamic Republic Works To Prevent Civil War in Afghanistan, Says Iranian Envoy in Kabul

Aug 24, 2023, 09:31 GMT+1

Hasssan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador in Kabul, said that Tehran’s approach in relation to Afghanistan is to help prevent a civil war and conflicts with neighbouring countries.

Qomi added, "We will watch that the Americans do not create an atmosphere like the past in Afghanistan again."

He did not elaborate on the issue.

However, without providing any evidence, Qomi has claimed that "instead of military campaigns, the United States is strengthening ISIS-K”.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Thursday that Qomi made these statements during a programme in Iran's Qom province.

The Iranian ambassador has also said that the Americans withdrew their forces from Afghanistan after 20 years.

Qomi, who maintains close relations with the Taliban, said, "The scene is very complicated, but the fact is that the Americans did not want to leave Afghanistan, but they were forced to do so, and this is considered a big failure for them."

The representative of the Islamic Republic in Kabul had previously accused Washington of trying to turn Afghanistan into a dangerous region for its neighbours.

In an interview with IRNA, Qomi had claimed that the United States was trying to return Afghan special forces to Afghanistan for special situations.

Should Not Be Suspicious About Each Other’s Intentions, Muttaqi Tells Pakistani Officials

Aug 23, 2023, 15:00 GMT+1

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s foreign minister, asked Pakistani authorities to avoid suspicion and verbal conflict in their relations with the group.

Muttaqi raised this issue during a meeting with Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani, Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul and Sohail Mahmood, head of Pakistan Institute of Strategic Studies.

During this meeting in Kabul, Muttaqi said, "Let's not doubt each other's intentions."

He emphasised, "Instead of verbal conflict and media statements, let's find the causes of the problems."

Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesperson of the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday, shared pictures of this meeting on his social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Muttaqi called the relations between Taliban and Pakistan friendly and fraternal and stressed on preventing damage to bilateral relations.

Claiming that peace and stability have reigned in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s foreign minister promised the Pakistani ambassador that they would stick to their commitments. Muttaqi assured Pakistan that "no one will be harmed" from Afghanistan's soil.

On August 18, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan’s former Minister of Defence, in an interview with Afghanistan International, had emphasised that Pakistan will use force if the Taliban does not fulfill their commitments.

He explained, "In case, we obtain evidence that attacks are coordinated from Afghanistan's territory against Pakistan, Islamabad will resort to force to defend its territory."

The former Pakistani defence minister said that after his visit to Kabul on February 22, the attacks of the Pakistani Taliban on the territory of Pakistan has increased.