Afghan Witness Report Highlights Surge in Online Abuse Against Afghan Women Activists

The meeting has been organized by several political and research groups in Moscow.

According to the agenda, a copy of which has been reviewed by Afghanistan International, this "international conference" will be held under the name "Afghanistan between past and present".

In the Moscow meeting, only prominent anti-Taliban figures such as Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front; Amrullah Saleh, former vice-president; Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of People's Islamic Unity Party; Fazl Ahmad Manawi, a member of the Resistance Front, and Mohammad Sadiq Taha, son of Ismail Khan, former governor of Herat, are scheduled to speak.

Other speakers of the conference include Fawzia Koofi and Shukria Barakzai, two female political and civil activists. No one from the Taliban or figures close to the group have been invited to the meeting.

Massoud is going to explain his views on the situation in Afghanistan and Saleh will talk about the Doha agreements between the US and the Taliban. Mohaqiq will talk about the international community’s engagement with the Taliban.

Taha is supposed to talk about the role of the countries in the region in Afghanistan, and Manawi will talk about the relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The Moscow international meeting will be organized by Russian political parties and research groups including the non-profit, the Just World Institute, and “A Just Russia Party” in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences. Even though the Russian government does not seem to have a direct role in organising the meeting, several Russian participants are also from the Russian parliament.

Also, officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry were invited, but their names and positions were not included in the agenda.

According to the agenda reviewed by Afghanistan International, other invited participants of the meeting include senior NRF member Mahmoud Saiqal; former deputy speaker of the Afghan senate Mohammad Alam Izdyar, and other Afghan figures such as Bahauddin Jilani, Mashkur Kabuli, Khalil Andarabi, Zalmi Younusi, Sayed Baqer Mohseni, Munira Tarakhel, Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, Atiqullah Baryalai, Dadullah Qane, Noor Rahman Akhlaqi, and Shamsullah Arianfar.

Additionally, other invited figures include Abdullah Abdullah, the former Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, and Hamid Karzai, the former president; Mohammad Ismail Khan, Habib Ur Rahman Sayyaf, Tadin Khan, Almas Zahid, Sattar Hosseini, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Faizullah Zaki, Nazir Ahmad Hanafi, Zahir Tamim, Rahmatullah Yarmal, Pir Mohammad Khaksar, Alia Yilmaz and Khalid Pashtun.

However, it is not clear how many of these well-known politicians will attend the meeting. Previously, the Taliban prevented Abdullah and Karzai from participating in international meetings on Afghanistan.

This is in addition to the ministry's standard and development budgets.

The source added that the group’s finance minister was dismissed from his position due to the tension with Haqqani over this budget.

Sources informed the Pashto section of Afghanistan International that the Taliban's Ministry of Interior received around four billion Afs as operational funds in five stages, in addition to its regular and developmental budgets.

During the previous governments, operative money was given by the president to a number of government officials whose purpose was to expand influence, attract loyalty and give financial concessions to influential ethnic, political and intelligence figures.

The source revealed that in early 2023, a dispute over funds beyond the allocated budget arose between Sirajuddin Haqqani and Hidayatullah Badri, the Taliban's then finance minister. The tension prompted the intervention of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group's leader, ultimately resulting in Badri's resignation from the Ministry of Finance.

Badri was later appointed as the head of the Central Bank of Taliban.

The source said, "Hidayatullah Badri was also unhappy with the unreasonable request for fund from Mullah Hibatullah’s office and criticised it. However, the tension with Haqqani caused him to be dismissed from the Ministry of Finance.”

Following Badri's dismissal, a source in the Ministry of Finance disclosed that the financial requests from the Taliban's Interior Minister were swiftly executed. Additionally, individuals favoured by Haqqani were appointed to various directorates within the Ministry of Finance.

The information shows that the budget for Taliban’s high-ranking offices is not transparent. A source in the Ministry of Finance said that the allocation and receipt of money by the offices of Mullah Hibatullah, Mullah Hasan Akhund, the group’s prime minister, Haqqani and Taliban Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob are completely confidential and there is no supervision over it.

According to the source, a number of other high-ranking officials of the Taliban also receive money every month. A source close to the Taliban's interior minister also confirmed the receipt of operational fund and said that officials such as Mullah Yaqoob and Abdul Haq Wasiq, the head of the Taliban's intelligence, are receiving out of budget funds.

He said that Haqqani paid money to tribal elders, civil activists and journalists during his provincial trips. A reporter told the Pashto section of Afghanistan International that Haqqani had given between 20,000 to 50,000 Afs to a number of people during one of his trips to Khost province.

The spokesperson of the Taliban's Ministry of Interior did not respond to Afghanistan International's questions regarding the operational fund.

During the former government, the president provided operational funds to ministers, governors, parliament and senate speakers, and other officials. The exact amount of this money remains undisclosed due to its confidential nature, but reports suggest it ranged between 500,000 to 3,000,000 Afs.

Per the Ministry's statement, the presence of Abdul Hadi Omar, a Taliban representative in Cologne is considered wholly unacceptable, underlining that Germany will not endure any attempts to establish a platform for radical Islamist ideologies within its borders.

The Ministry underscored the Taliban's extensive record of human rights abuses, highlighting Germany's role in providing refuge to numerous Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban's oppressive regime.

Moreover, the Ministry disclosed that German authorities are vigorously investigating the situation. They have also requested a comprehensive explanation from the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in Germany about this issue.

Abdul Bari Omar, the Taliban's director of the Food and Drug Administration, recently proclaimed on the X social platform that he remains in Europe following his visits to the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, and Germany.

Omar disclosed his interactions with various "Afghan ambassadors and diplomats" during his tour, though the identities of these officials remain undisclosed. While withholding names, Omar pledged to soon release photos of these meetings.

Previously, images showing Omar's attendance at events in the Netherlands and Germany emerged, sparking significant public outcry. The details of how Omar secured a visa from a European country are still unclear.

The German Foreign Ministry and the Dutch Health Minister, Ernst Kuipers, have both announced plans to investigate Omar's visit to their countries. This visit has sparked controversy, with many critics viewing it as an attempt to legitimise the Taliban, notorious for their human rights violations.

A photo showing Omar alongside Minister Kuipers has been particularly contentious, attracting criticism from figures like Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands. Wilders slammed the photo as a "scandal" and "disgraceful," criticising Kuipers for associating with a member of the Taliban, whom he describes as "murderers and extremists."

Responding to the backlash, Kuipers expressed his ignorance of Omar's Taliban links at the time of the photograph and regretted the encounter. He also announced an investigation into Omar's attendance at a conference in The Hague.

Kuipers further addressed the issue on the X social platform, conceding that taking the photo was an error and an incident that should not have happened.

This initiative, valued at two billion Afghanis, aims to bolster the region's water resources.

As per the Taliban's disclosure, the proposed dam is expected to reach a height of 50 metres and will be capable of holding approximately 60 million cubic metres of water. This capacity is anticipated to facilitate the irrigation of around 8,000 hectares of agricultural land, potentially enhancing the region's agricultural productivity.

The project's responsibility has been assigned to the group’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. This announcement was broadcast by Radio Television Afghanistan, now under Taliban control.

This development follows the inauguration of the Kamal Khan Dam in the Chahar Burjak district of Nimruz by Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan, in March 2021. The Kamal Khan Dam, which was constructed over a period of four years at a cost of USD 78 million, represents a similar endeavour to improve the region's water management and agricultural infrastructure.

Omar revealed he had engaged with various "Afghan ambassadors and diplomats" during his tour, though the identities of these officials were not disclosed. Despite withholding names, Omar promised to release photos of these meetings soon.

Previously, images showcasing Omar's participation in events in the Netherlands and Germany had surfaced, eliciting strong public reactions. The specifics regarding how Omar obtained a visa from a European country remain unclear.

The German Foreign Ministry and the Dutch Health Minister, Ernst Kuipers, have both declared intentions to investigate Omar's visit to their countries. This visit has been contentious, with many critics decrying it as an attempt to legitimise the Taliban, known for their human rights abuses.

A photo depicting Omar alongside Minister Kuipers has been particularly controversial, drawing criticism from figures like Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands. Wilders condemned the photo as a "scandal" and "shameful," criticising Kuipers for being photographed with a member of the Taliban, which he labels as a group of "murderers and extremists."

Kuipers responded to the backlash by expressing his unawareness of Omar's Taliban affiliation at the time of the photo and regretting the interaction. He also announced an investigation into how Omar managed to attend a conference in The Hague.

Kuipers further addressed the issue on the X social platform, admitting that taking the photo was a mistake and something that should have never occurred.