Relations With Iran In Best State, Says Taliban’s FM

The Taliban has not commented on the matter yet.

Afghanistan Freedom Front, comprising former military personnel from the previous government of the country, was established alongside the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan following the takeover of power by Taliban in August 2021. The front engages in armed struggle against the Taliban.

In its quarterly report covering the situation in Afghanistan from August to September this year, the United Nations reported that the Afghanistan Freedom Front has been the most active group against the Taliban during this period.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that, despite carrying out small-scale attacks, the Afghanistan Freedom Front has been the most active armed opposition group against the Taliban.

Amir Abdollahian expressed hope that the Taliban would take “practical steps” to resolve differences with his country.

However, the Taliban's foreign ministry did not mention the demands of the Iranian side in its statement regarding the meeting. Instead, the group stated that both sides discussed the promotion of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Iran does not recognise the Taliban, and the country's foreign ministry refused to display the Taliban flag at the meeting.

Muttaqi participated in an international meeting on Palestine in Tehran last Saturday. During the trip, he has only met with the Iranian foreign minister and the special representative of Iran. The Taliban's Foreign Ministry has not released any news about Muttaqi's meetings with officials from other participating countries.

Iran has consistently criticised the absence of an inclusive government in the Taliban regime, but the Taliban have not accepted this critique.

It has also criticised the Taliban for not fulfilling Iran's water rights, but the Taliban has postponed addressing the water rights issue citing a decrease in rainfall.

High-ranking officials, including the Ministers of Defence and Interior, as well as the Intelligence Chief, are said to be spearheading this digital initiative.

The report identifies three key cyber groups operating under Taliban leadership: “Badri Virtual Devotees,” “Ababil Emarati,” and “Omari Defenders.” These groups are linked to prominent Taliban figures, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Minister of Defence, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, Taliban’s head of intelligence.

Badri Virtual Devotees

Led by Anas Haqqani, brother of the Taliban interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Saeed Khosty, a former spokesperson to the Taliban’s interior ministry, this faction reportedly operates from three locations in Kabul, coordinating the activities of 150 individuals across 15 subgroups. They focus on promoting Taliban achievements and engaging in online confrontations with critics. This group is believed to manage around 500 anonymous Facebook entities and 800 accounts on social platform X, another popular platform among Afghans.

Ababil Emarati

Functioning with the Taliban's intelligence funding, this group, led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, is said to monitor and attack the Taliban's political opponents on social networks. This includes hacking attempts against prominent dissenters, with reported assistance from contracted hackers based in Pakistan.

Omari Defenders

Associated with Mullah Yaqub, the Taliban’s defence minister, this team works on enhancing his public image and targeting those who speak negatively about key Taliban figures. With offices in various parts of Kabul, the group includes about 100 employees and is led by a former Afghan radio and television journalist.

The report also highlights the extensive use of anonymous accounts by Taliban supporters to attack critics with abusive language. These social media operations are part of a broader strategy by the Taliban to control narratives and suppress opposition voices in the digital realm.

Pictures published by local media outlets in Mashhad indicate that the new ban has been implemented at the entrance of Mashhad's Friday market.

On Saturday, Shahrara newspaper, owned by the Mashhad municipality, quoted Hasan Kilidari, a senior executive in the municipality, as stating that, according to the approval of the city's municipal social commission, “from now on, the activities of foreigners, under any title, in all of Mashhad's mobile markets are prohibited”.

Official statistics from the Iranian immigration authorities reveal that approximately half a million Afghans in Mashhad are registered with a residence permit.

This figure constitutes 95% of the total population of immigrants in Mashhad.

The decision to prohibit the activity of Afghans in mobile markets has sparked a reaction from cultural activists among Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Zainab Bayat, an Afghan poet and cultural activist residing in Mashhad, reacted to this move by questioning the move on her Instagram handle, “How can Afghans provide income for their families when all doors closed?”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that this programme will support nearly 100 journalists who were forced to go to Pakistan following the recent developments.

This programme aims to ensure the safety of journalists by lobbying with Pakistani policy and decision-makers. It also includes goals such as providing employment opportunities in the host country, offering legal assistance, and conducting workshops to empower journalists.

According to the RSF, there are currently about two hundred Afghan journalists living in Pakistan.

These reporters were forced to flee their country following the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Over the past two years, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on the freedom of expression and media activity and has imprisoned a large number of journalists.

RSF said that Afghan journalists living in Pakistan are facing an uncertain future with administrative problems, lack of resources and harassment by the Pakistani police.

In light of the Pakistani government's new plan to deport Afghan refugees and immigrants, these journalists, along with hundreds of thousands of other refugees, are at risk of being deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.