Taliban’s local officials announced the discovery of a "mass grave" near Sheikh Zayed University in Khost province. The Taliban have said that about a hundred bodies had been buried in this grave.
Radio Television Afghanistan, controlled by the Taliban, reported on Tuesday that the grave had been discovered during the digging of a water storage dam.
Taliban officials have said that a committee has been appointed to investigate the matter.
In November 2022, Taliban had announced the discovery of a mass grave in Kandahar province too.
John Kirby, White House National Security Council’s spokesperson, has said that the Taliban government has not fulfilled its commitments and will not be recognised until it does so.
He added that there have been no attempts by Washington to "normalise" relations with the Taliban currently.
During a press conference, Kirby said that there has been no change in the United States’ policy towards the Taliban.
Till now, no country has recognised the Taliban government, and the international community has said that Taliban's failure to fulfil their commitments, particularly concerning women's rights has been the reason for it.
Over the past two and a half years of their governance, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women's education, participation in society, and employment.
Furthermore, the Taliban has not shown a constructive response to the consistent calls from the region and the global community to establish an inclusive government.
Additionally, various reports from the Security Council indicate that the Taliban has sustained ties with terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda. Such associations have heightened concerns about the potential use of Afghan territory for activities against other nations.
Iranian news agencies have reported that the Taliban representative at the Afghan embassy in Tehran attended the 45th anniversary celebration of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, joining numerous other foreign guests.
Alongside fellow guests, he received a warm welcome from the Iranian president and foreign minister.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has released images from last week's event, showing Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the Taliban representative in Tehran, meeting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of power, Iran was one of the first countries to maintain close political and economic interactions with the Taliban.
Although Iran has not recognised the Taliban regime yet, on February 28, 2023, it handed over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.
Previously, the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates had invited Badruddin Haqqani, the Taliban's envoy to the Afghan Embassy in the UAE, to participate in the celebration of India's Republic Day.
Indian officials clarified that Haqqani's invitation was issued under the title of the "Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”.
Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban's Minister of Industry and Commerce, met with Alimkhan Yessengeldiyev, the Kazakh Ambassador to Kabul on Monday, seeking Kazakhstan's investment in Afghanistan's mining sector.
They also discussed activating the Turgundi-Spin Boldak transit route.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the meeting and discussions between the Taliban official and the Kazakh representative on Monday covered the visit of an official delegation and the private sector from Kazakhstan to Kabul, however, didn’t provide further details on the official Kazakh delegation's visit to Kabul.
Kazakhstan has strengthened its trade relations with the Taliban over the past two years. Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan proposed a plan to establish a regional UN center in Almaty to achieve sustainable development goals in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Additionally, the Taliban's Ministry of Commerce announced in August that the Afghan and Kazakh private sectors signed a trade agreement worth over one hundred million dollars in Astana.
In January, Kazakhstan also removed the Taliban from its list of banned organisations.
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry condemned the operations by Israel in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, calling on the international community to prevent the massacre of Palestinians and the occupation of the region.
Taliban appealed to countries worldwide, especially Islamic nations and human rights organisations, to take action on this matter.
On Monday, the group issued a statement urging countries and international bodies to seek a fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue.
The statement from the Taliban's Foreign Ministry added, "The continuation of genocide in Gaza poses serious questions to the prevailing international order and its values."
The ministry's statement further noted, "This century's genocide will further diminish the already weak credibility of international organisations and humanitarian conventions."
The Taliban's request comes at a time when they are accused of killing former security forces, arbitrarily detaining women and Afghan citizens, and have not demonstrated adherence to international conventions.
The group has also been accused of "gender apartheid" due to the ban on girls' education and the oppression of women.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Taliban, highlighted the significance of the group's relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Stanikzai articulated that both the Taliban and Iran have acknowledged the mutual benefits of engaging with each other based on a win-win approach, fostering the interests of both nations.
His comments were made during the commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution at the Iranian embassy in Kabul on Sunday.
Stanikzai pointed out that the enhancement and broadening of ties between the Taliban and Iran across various sectors, including political, economic, cultural, and scientific domains, have been noteworthy and substantial over the last two and a half years.
Despite not officially recognising the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, similar to other nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran has established close relations with the group, evidenced by the handing over of control of the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.