Use Supply of Water & Energy Resources As Pressure Tool Against Taliban, Says Iranian MP

Both the resistance fronts said that they waged separate operations against the Taliban.

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

NRF announced that the front’s forces attacked the police command and intelligence office of the Taliban in Guldara district of Kabul province on Saturday night.

According to NRF, during the exchange of gunfire between the two sides, one Taliban fighter had been killed and another member of this group had been wounded.

NRF also confirmed that a fighter of their own group had been wounded in the attack.

In a statement, NRF stressed on continuing "targeted attacks" against the Taliban.

Meanwhile, AFF announced that the front’s forces targeted a Taliban outpost in Dawlat Shah district of Laghman province, because of which two Taliban fighters were killed and three other members of the group were injured.

In recent months, anti-Taliban resistance fronts have increased attacks on the Taliban across Afghanistan.

Al-Thani warned of sporadic engagement to resolve issues in Afghanistan and said that with such an approach, no progress will be achieved.

Addressing a global forum in Singapore on Friday, Al-Thani stressed that the international community had to be united over the past 20 years to bring out reconciliation in Afghanistan.

However, the Qatari Prime Minister suggested that the talks about Afghanistan should continue until a solution to the country's problems is found.

Referring to the two years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Al-Thani warned that with the continuation of the current situation in Afghanistan, the country will suffer socially and economically.

In May, Al-Thani had visited Afghanistan and made a stop in Kandahar, after which media outlets had reported that he had met with the Taliban leader there.

In a statement, the ministry added that the Uzbek delegation is headed by the first deputy minister of trade of Uzbekistan and arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday.

The Uzbek delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with the Taliban officials and Afghan businessmen.

The Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce stressed that the purpose of the visit of the Uzbek delegation to Kabul is to strengthen bilateral trade relations between the two countries.

The Taliban added that Uzbekistan is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in electricity, technology, and processed foods.

Uzbekistan has maintained business relations with the Taliban since August 2021, when Afghanistan fell to the group.

According to Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Velayati has not yet returned to Iran.

This photojournalist of Tasnim News Agency had been detained by the Taliban in Kabul last week while boarding a flight for Iran.

Tasnim reported that Velayati had been handed over to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul on Friday night.

The media agency expressed hope that this photojournalist will leave for Iran as soon as possible.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced on Friday night about the intensive diplomatic efforts of the Islamic Republic for the release of this photojournalist.

The Taliban have not yet announced the reason for the detention of Velayati.

He was released while several other journalists remain in Taliban detention.

Earlier, the Afghanistan Journalists Center announced that 13 journalists and media workers are being held by the Taliban.

Recently, Afghanistan International received clips of indecent video calls of Qari Qadir, the Taliban commander, at the lapis lazuli mine of Badakhshan.

According to Afghanistan International’s sources, senior officials of the Taliban had been made aware of the video clips and hence, Qadir had been dismissed from his job.

The clips showcase, Qadir, who was the commander of the lapis lazuli mine in the Kuran and Munjan district of Badakhshan, conducting inappropriate video calls with a young girl. Afghanistan International has gained access to six separate video clips which capture a total of eight minutes of sexual conversation between this Taliban official and the unknown girl.

Afghanistan International couldn’t determine the exact time and location of these video calls and the TV station couldn’t broadcast these video clips due to inappropriate content.

After the Taliban senior officials accessed these video clips through their messaging apps, several commanders of the group harshly criticised it. Amanuddin Mansour, the former governor of Badakhshan and the commander of the 217 Army Corps of the group, during a public gathering in Badakhshan province, criticised Qari Qadir for misusing the Taliban’s weapons and vehicles.

In a video clip that has been trending on social media, in the presence of senior Taliban officials in Badakhshan, the commander of 217 army corps of the Taliban confirms that Qari Qadir “misused the vehicles and weapons of the government” and committed adultery with a married woman.

The former governor of the Taliban in Badakhshan said, "I am ashamed to talk to you about Qari Qadir’s wrongdoings from this stage."

He added, "He [Qadir] has committed adultery with the women and misused weapons and cars of the Islamic Emirate. His video clips are available with me and our intelligence chief."

Afghanistan International's sources from Badakhshan said that after the scandalous recordings of Qari Qadir were circulated among some Taliban officials in Badakhshan, the group removed him from the security command of the lapis lazuli mine in the province.

The sources added that Qair Qadir is currently staying in Badakhshan and has been freely moving around.

This is not the first time that controversial video clips of Taliban officials have been leaked to the public.

Earlier, Afghanistan International had broadcast a video clip which showed Mullah Ahmad Akhund, the Taliban-appointed director of electricity in Kabul, sleeping with his bodyguard.

Taliban officials refrained from commenting on the video after it was released, but the leader of the group fired Ahmad Akhund from his job and summoned him to Kandahar.

The Taliban usually have a strict attitude against the allegations related to the sexual relations of Afghan citizens. According to the Taliban laws, sexual relations outside of marriage can be punished by whipping, stoning, and execution.

However, in dealing with its officials, the group has only acted to remove them from their government positions.