Afghan Women’s Rights Activist Released From Taliban Prison

He urged the UN to investigate how the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) acquired such arms.

On Sunday, Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper, reported that Jadoon called the threats posed by diversion, illicit trafficking, and misuse of small arms and light weapons alarming during an open debate of the United Nations Security Council.

He explained that terrorist groups like TTP obtain modern weapons from illicit arms markets or receive them from entities that want to destabilise a particular region or country.

“Terrorists and criminals do not manufacture these advanced arms; instead, they acquire them from illicit markets or entities with intentions to destabilise specific regions or countries,” he stated.

Jadoon announced that Pakistan will work closely with the international community to expose those responsible for supporting and financing TTP.

This Pakistani diplomat emphasised that it is the responsibility of all governments and the United Nations to take measures to prevent illicit trade and transfer of weapons.

Following the Taliban takeover of power in Afghanistan, TTP’s attacks against the Pakistan’s army have increased.

Pakistani authorities have several times said that TTP fighters are using US weapons left in Afghanistan in attacks against security forces of the country.

In September, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, had announced that the US weapons left in Afghanistan have fallen into the hands of terrorists and are a threat to Pakistan. She said that the situation needs global attention.

Grigoryev said that in 2023, many times, extremists tried to infiltrate Tajikistan from Afghanistan.

In the interview, which was published on Monday, he said that they do not see any particular progress in the Taliban's commitment to ensure the security of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries.

Grigoryev added that during this year, the extremists were trying to penetrate the territory of Tajikistan from Afghanistan’s border, but all of the attacks were quickly suppressed by the security forces of Tajikistan.

This Russian diplomat said that Afghanistan is facing a downfall in the social and economic sphere and the country is literally on the verge of a severe humanitarian crisis.

His statements were made while Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon, the presidents of Russia and Tajikistan, discussed Afghanistan in Moscow last month.

The Russian ambassador to Tajikistan said that the serious attention of the leaders of Russia and Tajikistan to the issue of Afghanistan is fully justified and requires continuous coordination.

He also mentioned the increase in the trafficking of industrial drugs from Afghanistan and criticised that the western countries have actually reduced the anti-narcotics programs’ budget of Afghanistan.

The Russian ambassador has also expressed concern about the massive influx of refugees deported from Pakistan to the northern provinces. According to him, in this situation, there is the possibility of altering the ethnic composition of the population in northern Afghanistan.

Grigoryev warned that terrorist elements may exist among the displaced.

He added that Russia will do its best to prevent attacks on its allies.

Earlier, in September, Tajikistan’s National Information Agency reported the killing of three "terrorists" by the country's security forces near the Afghan border. Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said that these individuals were members of the “Jamaat Ansarullah” movement and entered the country from the border area of Darwaz district in Afghanistan.

Also, in April, the Tajikistan National Security Committee had announced that two terrorists who entered Tajikistan from the border of Afghanistan had been killed.

Officials of Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries have repeatedly expressed concerns over the increase of terrorist activities in Afghanistan and its spillover to these countries.

Over the past three months, the report indicates that 65 civilians were killed and 125 injured due to attacks and explosions.

UNAMA has not attributed these civilian deaths to any specific group. The report highlights that unexploded ordnance from past conflicts and deliberate attacks with improvised explosive devices are major causes of these casualties.

Particularly alarming are the three attacks on the Shia community in Kabul and Baghlan provinces, where 39 people were killed and 87 injured. ISIS has claimed responsibility for these attacks. The report, however, does not provide details on the recent series of attacks in Herat province on the Shia community.

The UNAMA report also sheds light on human rights violations, documenting "10 extrajudicial killings, 21 arbitrary arrests and detentions, and eight instances of torture and ill-treatment" of former government officials and members of security forces. Additionally, it recorded violations against individuals accused of affiliations with the National Resistance Front and ISIL-K, including four extrajudicial killings, 79 arbitrary arrests and detentions, and 15 instances of torture and ill-treatment.

The report further notes that at least 24 men and four women were publicly flogged, and it addresses the ongoing issue of arrests of women's rights activists, pointing out that no formal charges have been brought against them.

He labelled the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan a "catastrophic mistake."

Bolton, who served under former President Donald Trump, criticised both Trump's and Joe Biden's administrations for their approaches to the negotiations with the Taliban.

Bolton pointed out that the US withdrawal has opened opportunities for regional powers like Iran, China, and Russia to assert influence in Afghanistan. He termed Trump’s negotiations with the Taliban a "mistake," one which Biden repeated.

Bolton also mentioned Trump's recent statement about negotiation with the Taliban and breaking a deal to takeover Bagram airbase once he gets elected as the next president of the United States and stressed that Trump acknowledges that he made a mistake in negotiating with the Taliban and is concerned about it.

He advocated for a complete overhaul of the Taliban regime and the establishment of a responsible political system in Afghanistan.

Citing the Taliban as a danger, Bolton warned against trusting them. He argued that their harbouring of international terrorists poses a threat to the US and its allies and emphasised the group's extremist agenda. Bolton said that he hopes the US will refrain from recognising the Taliban, citing their breach of commitments to Afghanistan and the US.

Regarding the possibility of the US troops returning to Afghanistan, Bolton said that he hopes that the Republican party, having a responsible candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, will reject the agreement with the Taliban and recognise the resistance against the group in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's foreign ministry announced that Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s foreign minister, also went to Torghundi port in western Afghanistan to welcome Meredow.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan has not yet announced the primary objectives of this trip. However, the Taliban stated that the purpose of the trip was “assessing the progress of joint projects between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan”.

The Taliban stated that the objective of Meredow’s visit and his accompanying delegation is to observe and enhance the progress of economic, transit, electricity, railway, and energy projects in both Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

In a statement on Saturday, the Taliban's Foreign Ministry wrote that the officials of Turkmenistan and the Taliban also visited the Torghundi railway route in Herat.

Turkmenistan provides a major part of Herat's electricity supply. The country is also a partner of the TAPI regional project and an exporter of fuel to Afghanistan.