Taliban Reports Establishment of Over 100 Outposts Near Eastern Borders

A Taliban commander said that these border outposts have been built under the orders of the group’s Ministry of Defence.

Qari Meraj, the commander of the Taliban border brigade in Nangarhar, told Radio Hurriyat that the communication routes of these checkpoints have been built and other border patrol facilities are ready for operation.

The announcement comes following a series of border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban on the eastern borders of Afghanistan.

Meraj did not mention the skirmishes, but stressed that the Taliban forces "will not allow anyone to invade".

Taliban commanders have claimed that during the previous government in Afghanistan, Pakistanis did not allow these outposts to be built.

According to them, during the previous regime, the border checkpoints were constructed 15 kilometres behind the border zero points.

Recently, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced that the Taliban have constructed a border post "within their territory," and they have been urged to cease such activities.

Earlier, following the Taliban's attempt to build an outpost in Torkham, a skirmish occurred between the border forces of the two sides, and caused the closure of Torkham border crossing.

Pakistani officials said that the outpost was being built inside Pakistan and Pakistani forces intervened to prevent it from happening. However, the Taliban claimed that the outpost was situated on Afghan soil.

Earlier, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Taliban’s chief of staff had said that the group has built nearly 600 border posts near the borders of neighbouring countries, and the group's border guard forces have increased by 44 percent.

According to him, 20 provinces of Afghanistan share a border with six neighbouring countries, and 600 border guard posts have been established within the framework of 63 units of border forces to respond to security challenges.

In the last two years, Taliban fighters have repeatedly clashed with the border guards of neighbouring countries. Most of these conflicts have occurred on the western borders with Iranian forces and on the southern and eastern borders with Pakistani forces.

A Taliban commander said that these border outposts have been built under the orders of the group’s Ministry of Defence.

The announcement comes following a series of border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban on the eastern borders of Afghanistan.

Meraj did not mention the skirmishes, but stressed that the Taliban forces "will not allow anyone to invade".

Taliban commanders have claimed that during the previous government in Afghanistan, Pakistanis did not allow these outposts to be built.

According to them, during the previous regime, the border checkpoints were constructed 15 kilometres behind the border zero points.

Recently, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced that the Taliban have constructed a border post "within their territory," and they have been urged to cease such activities.

Earlier, following the Taliban's attempt to build an outpost in Torkham, a skirmish occurred between the border forces of the two sides, and caused the closure of Torkham border crossing.

Taliban Arrests Afghan Female Protester Neda Parwani In Kabul

Sep 19, 2023, 13:53 GMT+1

Neda Parwani, an Afghan female protester, along with her husband and child have been arrested by the Taliban, according to local sources.

The sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban members arrested Parwani and her family members on Tuesday from her house in Khair Khana area of Kabul.

Zholia Parsi, the leader of a protest movement, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban fighters first arrested Arash Parwani, the husband of Neda Parwani, and then, detained her and transferred them to unknown location.

The Taliban have not reacted to the arrest of the Parwani family yet.

Parwani is a member "Afghanistan's Spontaneous Protest Movement" which has repeatedly held protests against the Taliban's restrictions on women.

This protest group is among several similar groups which have emerged in response to the Taliban's strict policies against women in Afghanistan.

Over the past two years, the Taliban has imposed strict restrictions on Afghan women. These restrictions include preventing Afghan girls and women from right to education and work and access to public spaces across Afghanistan.

Women's protest movements have staged numerous demonstrations over the past two years to oppose the exclusion of women from social life.

On the other hand, during this period, the Taliban has repeatedly suppressed the gathering of women protesters and arrested and beaten up women activists.

All Afghan Voices Will Be Heard, Says UNAMA Head After Meeting Taliban’s FM

Sep 19, 2023, 11:52 GMT+1

Roza Otunbayeva, UN Secretary General Special’s Representative in Afghanistan, met Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s foreign minister, as part of a broad consultation ahead of the UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan next week.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) head assured everyone that the voice of all Afghans will be heard.

The UN agency has not provided more details about this meeting.

At the same time, the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations is scheduled to be held in New York, with the participation of the leaders from more than 150 countries.

United Nations Secretary General has said that the situation of Afghan women will also be on the agenda of the general assembly meetings.

After two years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the group’s government has not been recognised by any country and international isolation of the group has had an impact on the humanitarian situation of the country.

With the significant decrease in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, the World Food Programme has also announced that it will withdraw from the country if it does not receive funding. Previously, UNAMA had said that due to the sharp reduction in aid, it had to cut or reduce its aid to a large part of the needy people in Afghanistan.

However, the widespread violation of human rights in Afghanistan has raised concerns among members of the international community. The UN Security Council will discuss human rights violations of ethnic and religious minorities, the mysterious killing of the security forces of the former government, and the repression of Afghan women and girls.

Former Security Forces Member Found Dead In Kandahar

Sep 19, 2023, 10:22 GMT+1

Rahmatullah Andar, former spokesperson for the National Security Council of the previous government, said that the body of Khalil Ahmad Akhlaqi, a former security forces member, had been found in Aino Mina area of Kandahar city.

Andar said that the Taliban had arrested him on September 15 from police district 10 of Kandahar.

The Taliban have not reacted to Andar's claim yet.

On social media platform X, Andar wrote that the body of Akhlaqi, son of Dostum Khan from Jari district of Kandahar, was found with his neck severed and stab marks on his body.

He added that Akhlaqi lived in Aino Mina and "was threatened several times by the Taliban".

According to him, this former security forces member wanted to flee Afghanistan due to the persistent threats, but he could not find any opportunity to leave the country.

Bilal Sarwary, a well-known Afghan journalist, published a photo of this security forces member wearing local clothing and holding a young boy in his arms, and wrote on X, "It has been two years since the Taliban have been subjecting civilians to extrajudicial trials and executing them."

In a recent report, the United Nations officially accused the Taliban of killing dozens of former security forces members of the previous government.

The Taliban, however, said that most of these murders were carried out with personal motives and that the group had no role in the killings.

Taliban Is Far From Getting International Recognition, Says White House Spox

Sep 19, 2023, 09:36 GMT+1

John Kirby, the Spokesperson for the US National Security Council on Monday, told Afghanistan International that the US’ policy towards the Taliban has not changed.

Kirby stressed that the Taliban is heading in the direction contrary to the international community's demands and is far from gaining international legitimacy.

During a press conference in New York, Kirby added that the Taliban is acting contrary to its commitments regarding governance and its treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.

He added that not only have they not fulfilled these commitments, but they have also taken the opposite path.

Kirby stressed that in this situation, Washington has no intention to recognise the Taliban government.

Despite the persistent efforts of the US to encourage a change in the Taliban's behaviour, there has been no favourable response to the appeals from the group's adversaries to intensify pressure on them. The US Special Representative for Afghanistan has repeatedly highlighted the Taliban's accomplishments in combatting ISIS.

Kirby said that al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has been significantly weakened, and there are no indications of its resurgence in the country.

He added that the United States is monitoring all terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Taliban Military Court Acquits Group’s Senior Official of Charges of Illicit Relations

Sep 18, 2023, 15:28 GMT+1

According to a document from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the group's military court has cleared Mullah Ahmad, the director of the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) in Kabul of allegations of "inappropriate relations with his bodyguard”.

As per the document, the court has "reviewed" the video clip showing Mullah Ahmad allegedly "sharing a bed" with his bodyguard and labeled it as "fabricated".

A copy of an official letter of the Taliban which has been reviewed by Afghanistan International, reveals that Mullah Hassan Akhund, the group’s Prime Minister, sent the issue of illicit relation of Mullah Ahmad with his bodyguard to the Kabul Military Court for investigation on September 9.

In response to the letter of the Taliban’s Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Ghafar Rahmani, the group’s head of the military court, on September 17 wrote, "After investigation, it has been confirmed that the video clip circulated on social media, intended to defame Mullah Ahmad and it has been verified as fake and untrue. Consequently, Mullah Ahmad has been acquitted of all charges”.

The Taliban’s military court did not provide any explanation regarding how it was recognised as a "fake" video clip.

The video clip of Mullah Ahmad’s illicit relationship with his bodyguard had been received by Afghanistan International and published on August 18.

The videotape shows a room with a bed. In the video, Mullah Ahmad takes off his clothes and shares a bed with a young man, who is said to be his bodyguard.

On August 22, three days after the broadcast of the video clip, the Taliban leadership summoned Mullah Ahmad Akhund to Kandahar province.

In a letter from DABS, a copy of which received by Afghanistan International, it was mentioned that Mullah Ahmad's visit of Kandahar was "family problems", while sources said he had been "summoned" by the Taliban leadership.

Now, a month after the publication of the video clip, new dimensions of the story have been published.

Subsequent to the release of this video, Mullah Ahmad has filed a complaint against his two bodyguards.

In a letter announcing the acquittal of Mullah Ahmad, the Taliban’s military court in Kabul asked him to "reconcile" with his bodyguards and "forgive" them.

It is not clear what was the reason behind Ahmad’s complaint against his bodyguards.

The Taliban’s military court has acquitted this senior official of the group, while the group has punished Afghan citizens with allegations of extramarital sexual relations.

The Supreme Court of the Taliban announced last month that the group's courts have issued 175 sentences of Qisas, which translates as retaliation in kind - effectively an eye for an eye; 37 sentences of stoning and four sentences of burying the convicts under rubble.

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