US Refutes Claims of Reopening Consulate In Kabul

According to VoA, the issue has been included in a new strategic document by the US State Department.

The report indicates a potential shift in the US policy towards engaging with the Taliban to achieve various security, political, and economic objectives.

Voice of America states that the US State Department's strategy document mentions, "With the Taliban, we advocate for consular access, transparency and accountability for Americans.”

The document also emphasises on support for the work of the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs in securing the release of American hostages imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Following the fall of the previous government and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the US closed its embassy in Afghanistan. Currently, the embassy operates under the supervision of a Chargé d'Affaires from Doha.

The new US State Department document reads, "Even as — and for as long as — the United States does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, we must build functional relationships that advance our objectives and further our understanding of the Taliban’s readiness and ability to fulfil their commitments to us."

According to the report, the US' new strategy encompasses four areas: counter-terrorism, economic aid, local engagement, and providing consular services to American citizens and assistance with the migration of Afghans to the US.

Voice of America's report further highlights that the US will continue discussions on the fundamental rights of the Afghan people, particularly the rights of women and girls.

In the report, SIGAR stated that the Al-Qaeda leader, who is probably in Afghanistan, called for attacks on American, European, and Israeli embassies and buildings.

This organisation presented its quarterly report to the US Congress on January 30.

In this report, SIGAR has detailed the extent of US assistance to Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover. The report also covers the economic situation and human rights in Afghanistan under Taliban control.

As per the report, following the war between Israel and Hamas, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who is believed to be based in Afghanistan, released three press statements in which he called for attacks on American, European and Israeli embassies and buildings.

According to this report, a UN sanctions monitoring team previously reported that the relationship between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban is close and that the Taliban supports the group.

In its report, SIGAR also mentioned that ISIS attacks on Hazara and Shia communities in Afghanistan have increased. It also added that the terrorist threats in Afghanistan have continued in this quarter, while the US, UN and regional countries expressed concerns regarding the Taliban’s ability and willingness of counterterrorism commitments.

Earlier, the United Nations Security Council had reported that the Taliban maintained its ties with Al-Qaeda and the terror group had established eight new training camps in Afghanistan.

According to the report, four Al-Qaeda camps have been established in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan provinces, and they have established a weapons depot in Panjshir as well.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson dismissed UNSC’s report about the presence of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and called it a "regular programme" to spread accusations and rumours against the group.

Previously, even the Long War Journal had disclosed that several members of the Al-Qaeda network held prominent positions within the Taliban administration.

As per the magazine's report, individuals such as the Taliban's deputy intelligence director, the education director of the Ministry of Defence, and the governors of Kapisa and Nuristan are some of the members of Al-Qaeda actively serving in the Taliban administration.

The EU Special Envoy also said that the upcoming Doha meeting had been discussed in this meeting.

On his X social media platform, Niklasson wrote about his meeting with Marsudi, and stated that they discussed the importance of international interaction, educational opportunities for everyone in Afghanistan and the upcoming Doha meeting.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has repeatedly urged the Taliban to lift restrictions and bans on the education of Afghan women and girls.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stated that the two sides discussed peace and stability in the region during this meeting.

According to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Jilani emphasised on “optimal utilisation of dialogue processes to foster meaningful cooperation”.

The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan about the discussion with the European Union's special envoy for Afghanistan about peace and stability in the region comes at a time when the country has been recently involved in launching missile attacks towards another neighbour Iran.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has asked the Afghan Taliban to hand over the leaders of the terrorist groups to Islamabad.

The newspaper noted that despite 27 attacks which occurred in Pakistan in January 2024, the TTP did not claim responsibility for any of them.

The Express Tribune report further highlighted growing differences between the TTP and its breakaway faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has publicly declared its intention to intensify attacks against Pakistani security forces.

The report also mentioned statements from Mehmood Madani, a key figure from the Mohmand tribal area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In an audio file released by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Madani emphasised on the group's readiness to attack its opponents.

The influence of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, became quite apparent following his visit to Afghanistan and discussions with the Taliban, as reported by the Express Tribune.

The report indicates that the Pakistani Taliban, through mediation by the Afghan Taliban's Haqqani network, have verbally agreed to a ceasefire with Islamabad during the elections.

While Mohammad Khorasani, spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban, has not publicly addressed this ceasefire, he has not attributed any of the recent attacks in Pakistan to the TTP.