Taliban Defence Minister Dismisses ISIS Threat in Afghanistan

Reacting to a recent United Nations Security Council resolution, The Front, led by Yasin Zia, former Chief of Staff of the Afghan government's army, contends that increased engagement with the Taliban alone will not yield positive outcomes.

In its statement, AFF warns of a looming crisis in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, highlighting issues like humanitarian crises, poverty, and discrimination. These conditions, they argue, could potentially foster extremist groups.

The Front stresses the importance of involving anti-Taliban forces in drafting the mission of the UN's special envoy and advocates for a democratic and rights-respecting approach. They also emphasise the need for an elected system in Afghanistan, asserting that focusing solely on human rights issues under the Taliban will not address long-term challenges.

The recent UN Security Council resolution to appoint a special representative for Afghanistan has drawn mixed reactions. While the Taliban have dismissed the need for such a representative, the AFF views it as a positive step towards addressing Afghanistan's complex situation.

Rahmon urged the international community to resolve the conflict in the countries through negotiation and dialogue.

The president of Tajikistan recently gave a speech in the country's House of Representatives, addressing both domestic and foreign policies. The transcript of the speech has been made available on the official website of the Tajikistan Presidency.

In his speech, he expressed concern about the current situation in Afghanistan without providing further details. Over the past two years, he has repeatedly emphasised, in both regional and international meetings, the necessity of establishing a democratic and inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

Arms and drugs trafficking as well as attempts to infiltrate extremists into Tajikistan and Central Asia are among concerns of Dushanbe.

Rahmon stressed that Tajikistan cooperates with all international and regional organisations, including the United Nations, Commonwealth of Independent States, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Economic Cooperation Organisation, Collective Security Treaty Organisation, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other institutions in order to enhances Tajikistan's global standing and facilitates active engagement in worldwide processes, programs, and contexts.

He mentioned that Tajikistan aims to operationalise several international and regional transit projects in the near future.

According to him, one of these projects is China-Tajikistan-Afghanistan transit and economic corridor, which will be used in the near future.

During a ceremony at a Jihadi madrassa in Paktia province, Haqqani said that madrassas should not only provide religious education, but also include teachings on Jihadi and military thoughts.

This senior Taliban official views the instruction of jihadi thoughts and religious skills as a way to prepare students in seminaries for the defence of "Islam and the country”.

On Saturday, Bakhtar News Agency, under the Taliban control, reported that during the meeting, Haqqani stated that the Taliban will not permit the establishment of any system in Afghanistan other than the Islamic system.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the students of a jihadi madrassa in Paktia, he added that the expansion of madrassas and mosques is everyone's responsibility.

Haqqani sought the establishment of madrassas in remote villages.

In the past two years, the Taliban has built dozens of jihadi mosques and madrassas in many provinces of Afghanistan. In addition, many educational centres, including institutes and schools of the former Ministry of Education, have turned into jihadi madrassas.

Takhar Technical and Vocational Institute, Abdul Hai Habibi High School in Khost Province, Technical High School in Kandahar Province, Babrak Khan Zadran High School in Paktia Province, Mitra Private TV Building in Mazar Sharif City of Balkh, Teacher Training Institute in Herat, and Samangan are among the locations that have transformed into jihadi madrassas.

In May 2022, the Taliban released a message attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group's leader, stating that "religious schools should be established in all districts of Afghanistan”.

As per these documents, individuals are required to have security clearance from the Taliban intelligence agency at the time of employment.

On Friday, sources in Khost province shared documents with Afghanistan International, revealing that a female resident of the province successfully passed an employment exam for a government health department. Despite her success, she has not been assigned, as the Taliban intelligence directorate in the province rejected her security clearance.

Sources said that Taliban intelligence agency did not confirm the recruitment of the woman.

Relatives of this woman said, "We bear no guilt; only some family members served in the previous government".

According to them, the Taliban intelligence prevented the woman from being employed in a health institution due to her connections with previous government employees.

Her relatives mentioned receiving a letter from Taliban officials in Khost province to address the issue. However, Taliban intelligence officials verbally told them that, "Don't complain again, and you cannot work in the Taliban regime."

Meanwhile, there is another letter circulating on social networking sites indicating that the Taliban's Ministry of Commerce has instructed all institutions to obtain approval from the Taliban intelligence agency for their recruitments.

This matter arises despite Taliban officials consistently stating that they prioritise competence and expertise in their recruitment processes.

She stated that Russia will not support the UN Secretary General's decision to appoint a special representative for Afghan affairs without Taliban approval.

In a statement, Evstigneeva said that the UN special coordinator's report largely aligns with the overall approach of regional actors to Afghanistan's issues.

She said that they express a shared aspiration with the authors of the draft to alter the current state of affairs, aiming to guide the international community toward greater pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. However, she added that the recommendations should be discussed in a patient and comprehensive manner.

The Russian diplomat stated the efforts to impose development paths on Afghanistan, even under the auspices of the United Nations, are counterproductive and will hardly yield any results.

"It is important to take a sober assessment of the situation on the ground, taking into account the reaction of the Talibs themselves," she said.

Evstigneeva emphasized that the issue of Afghanistan can be solved only if there is a consistent and patient dialogue with the Taliban officials and if certain Western donors stop their usual rhetoric and stop manipulating humanitarian aid.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Afghanistan, with Russia and China opting to abstain from voting.

The resolution called on the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy for peace in Afghanistan.