The National Resistance Front (NRF) has confirmed conducting operations against the Taliban in Kunduz and Badakhshan, resulting in the death of one Taliban member and injuries to two others.
The NRF detailed that these attacks targeted the Taliban police command headquarters in Badakhshan and a Taliban outpost in Kunduz.
As of now, Taliban officials have not issued a response to the NRF's statement. The NRF declared that these strikes were executed on Wednesday night.
Emphasising their objective to terminate Taliban rule, the NRF stated its commitment to continuing its attacks against the group in various regions.
Farid Mamundzay, Afghanistan's ex-ambassador to India, revealed that India actively prompted former Afghan government diplomats to engage with the Taliban.
According to Mamundzay, India's strategy included supporting individuals with direct Taliban links. He highlighted that Afghan consuls in Mumbai and Hyderabad are pro-Taliban.
In a Bloomberg interview, Mamundzay noted a recent strengthening in India-Taliban relations. He claimed that many diplomats from the previous Afghan administration have departed, leaving behind those who favour the Taliban and maintain contact with its foreign ministry.
India's foreign ministry has not commented on these assertions.
Mamundzay also told Bloomberg that Afghan Consul Generals Zakia Wardak in Mumbai, Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil in Hyderabad, and Mohammad Qadir Shah, the commercial consul at the Afghan embassy in India, back the Taliban regime.
The motives behind India's apparent warming towards the Taliban remain speculative. It's suggested that India aims to safeguard its Afghan investments and retain influence in the region.
India resumed its Kabul embassy operations last year, focusing on humanitarian aid, including food and medicine distribution. However, consular services like visa issuance for Afghans are still suspended.
In recent developments, the Taliban has assumed control over some Afghan diplomatic missions in India. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai, the Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister, confirmed ongoing operations of their Mumbai and Hyderabad consulates and impending reopening of the recently shut Delhi embassy.
Several Afghan immigrant women have told Human Rights Watch (HRW) that the Pakistani police had sometimes sexually harassed some Afghan women and girls and threatened them with sexual assault.
The organisation said that Pakistani authorities have committed widespread abuses against Afghan migrants.
Recently, the Taliban consulate in Karachi reported the kidnapping of an Afghan immigrant girl by a "Pakistani military member".
HRW reported that Pakistani police and other authorities, alongside conducting mass arrests and confiscating the property and assets of Afghan immigrants, also destroyed the identity documents of thousands of Afghan migrants. The organisation added that Pakistani authorities are compelling them to return to Afghanistan through widespread abuses against Afghan immigrants.
On Tuesday, this human rights organisation wrote that since mid-September 2023, Pakistani authorities have deported over 400,000 Afghan migrants.
Elaine Pearson, HRW Asia Director, said, “Pakistani officials have created a coercive environment for Afghans to force them to return to life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan.”
She urged the Pakistani authorities to cease the mistreatment of immigrants and provide Afghans who are at risk the opportunity to stay in Pakistan.
Human rights activists and journalists reported that the Pakistani government's mistreatment was part of a campaign to force Afghan migrants to leave the country. They say that the police have beaten, threatened, and detained Afghan immigrants.
HRW stated that the Pakistani police also demanded bribes and confiscated jewellery, livestock and other property and destroyed their houses with bulldozers.
The organisation stated that among those deported or compelled to leave Pakistan are Afghans who were born in Pakistan and have never resided in Afghanistan.
HRW also said that Afghans, including women and girls, human rights defenders, journalists and former government employees who fled following the takeover power by Taliban, are at risk of persecution.
According to reports, Pakistani officials have allegedly compelled Afghans waiting for resettlement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, who couldn't renew their visas, to pay an exit fee of USD 830.
According to HRW, the forced deportations of Afghan refugees violate Pakistan's obligations as a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and under the customary international law principle of nonrefoulment.
Elaine Pearson urged countries that have promised to resettling Afghans at risk to expedite the processes while pressuring on Pakistan to fulfil its human rights obligations.
Iran's Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, recently announced that the Taliban has requested additional time from Iran to manage the repatriation of Afghan immigrants holding permits.
According to Vahidi, a systematic plan is in place to categorise these immigrants: those with permits will receive identification cards, while those lacking permits face deportation.
In a statement to the Mehr news agency on Wednesday, Vahidi mentioned the introduction of a "unique ID" for legally documented immigrants, aiding in their identification. Conversely, undocumented immigrants will be subject to deportation.
Vahidi highlighted that there are approximately five million Afghan immigrants in Iran. He emphasised the need for the Taliban to create suitable conditions, considering Afghanistan's current state, to ensure a smooth return of these immigrants to their homeland.
The Taliban, meanwhile, is grappling with the large-scale deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, involving hundreds of thousands of individuals.
This year's Axel Springer Freedom Foundation Courage Award has been awarded to Afghan women at a ceremony in Berlin. Roya Mahboob, co-founder of the Afghan girls' robotics team and entrepreneur, accepted the award on behalf of Afghan women.
The Axel Springer Courage Award is one of the most important awards in Germany, which is awarded annually to human rights activists in various fields.
This award has been given to Afghan women who, for over two years, have faced deprivation of participation and activity in various aspects of life and society under the Taliban rule.
The Taliban has prohibited girls from going to school above grade six and female students from university.
Despite the Taliban's repressive actions, women in various cities have come to the streets to protest against the group's policies.
In response to women's protests, the Taliban has resorted to threatening, arresting, and torturing the demonstrators.
Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister, recently stated that no country supports the Taliban’s opposition, claiming their position is weaker than in 2001.
In an interview with Radio Television Afghanistan on Tuesday, Stanikzai commented on the recent Moscow meeting titled "Afghanistan Between Past and Future," expressing that Russia wasted its time hosting opposition leaders.
The meeting, facilitated by Sergey Mironov of A Just Russia Party, saw participation from several anti-Taliban figures, including NRF leader Ahmad Massoud and Hazara leader, Mohammad Mohaqiq. However, Stanikzai dismissed the event's significance, urging Russia to ignore the opposition groups.
Stanikzai called on opposition leaders like Ahmad Massoud to return to Afghanistan for talks, but clarified the Taliban’s stance against an inclusive government. He rationalised this by comparing the Taliban's situation to other countries where victorious parties form their governments, arguing that coalition governments have historically failed in Afghanistan.
He further commented on the political structure of the Taliban, likening it to Western systems in some respects, yet distinct in its rejection of elections and demands for allegiance to the Taliban leader.
This perspective comes amid concerns from Western countries and neighbouring states about the Taliban's monopoly causing internal tensions and potential instability in Afghanistan. Despite this, the National Resistance Front (NRF) vows to continue its resistance until a democratic government is established.