7 Taliban Members Killed in AFF Attacks in Kabul
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) reported on Sunday that in two separate attacks on Taliban outposts, seven Taliban fighters had been killed, and four others were wounded in Kabul.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) reported on Sunday that in two separate attacks on Taliban outposts, seven Taliban fighters had been killed, and four others were wounded in Kabul.
The AFF said that these attacks took place at Gol Sorekh roundabout and Panjshir Watt area.
On X social media platform, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) reported that the Taliban targeted multiple passenger cars at the Gol Sorekh checkpoint last week and engaged in harassment of women and girls under the guise of a security inspection.
Furthermore, the front stated that in another incident at the Panjshir Watt checkpoint, the Taliban opened fire at a car carrying several young people from Panjshir province last week, resulting in casualties.
This marks the third assault by the AFF on Taliban outposts in Kabul within the past three days.
According to Afghanistan International's correspondent in Doha, women's rights activists Mahbouba Seraj and Shahgul Rezai have been extended invitations to participate in the Doha conference.
As of now, detailed information regarding the full roster of civil society members expected to attend the Doha conference remains undisclosed.
The precise number of representatives from Afghan civil society set to participate in the conference is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, it has been reported that women will comprise half of these civil society delegates.
The conference, convened by Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is scheduled for February 18 and 19. It aims to gather representatives from various countries to discuss issues related to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has stipulated certain conditions for its attendance at the conference. The Foreign Ministry of the Taliban previously declared that Amir Khan Muttaqi would only attend the Doha conference if the group's conditions were met.
Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov has raised concerns about the presence and potential alliances among over 20 terrorist organisations in Afghanistan, with ISIS being identified as the most prominent and hazardous.
During the sixth Afghanistan security meeting held in Bishkek, Japarov highlighted the possibility of these groups, despite their differences, forming coalitions that could pose significant threats.
The meeting, attended by senior security officials from various regional countries, served as a platform for Japarov to express his worries about the complex security situation in Afghanistan. He emphasised the risk of factions opposing the Taliban potentially joining forces with terrorist groups to seize control of the country.
Officials from Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan were present at this crucial gathering.
Japarov pointed out that the current state of affairs in Afghanistan should be viewed as a warning sign for Central Asia, with the potential for terrorist groups to recruit young individuals from across the Asian continent.
Adding to the discussion, Nikolay Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, noted that Afghanistan is currently home to 20 terrorist organisations, which collectively include over 23,000 militants, all operating under the Taliban's rule.
An Indian security official has urged the Taliban to prevent Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed from operating within Afghanistan.
Vikram Misri, India's Deputy National Security Advisor, at a regional security meeting in Bishkek, advocated that the Taliban should deny these organisations the opportunity to train and establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
"News18," an Indian news platform, reported that Misri, during the regional national security advisors' meeting in Bishkek, stressed on the necessity for the Taliban to disallow terrorists, particularly those affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from maintaining training sites and safe havens within Afghanistan.
Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, identified as Pakistani religious factions, are labelled as terrorist organisations by India. Lashkar-e-Taiba has been implicated by India in numerous fatal assaults on its soil, notably the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and the 2008 Mumbai Taj Hotel attack.
These entities strive for the secession of Kashmir from India and are recognised as "terrorist" organisations by various Western nations, including the United States.
Misri issued this plea during the regional national security advisors' assembly on Friday in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
He underscored India's enduring and future role as a pivotal player in Afghanistan, advocating for a "consensus approach" to address the Afghan predicament.
Representatives from Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan participated in the conference.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has reacted to the comments made by Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister, regarding the non-recognition of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan as "self serving and fanciful.”
The ministry urged the Taliban to address Pakistan's security concerns instead of focusing on this issue.
In a statement released on Friday, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan stated, "Any self-serving and fanciful claims regarding the legality and sanctity of the Pak-Afghan border cannot change the facts of geography, history and international law."
Previously, Stanekzai had stated at a conference commemorating the anniversary of the former Soviet army's withdrawal from Afghanistan in Logar that internal disputes among Afghans during the reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani's descendants led to the British invasion of Afghanistan.
Stanekzai also mentioned that as a result of these internal conflicts, Britain divided half of Afghanistan by drawing the "imaginary Durand Line," and now Pakistan is "unjustly" expelling Afghan migrants from there.
He emphasised, "We have never recognised the Durand Line in our lifetime, and we do not recognise it."
Reacting to the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister's remarks, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan advised the group to focus on the real security concerns of Pakistan instead of "divert[ing] public attention by such unfortunate public pronouncements.” The ministry stated its commitment to facilitating the regulated movement of people and commercial goods across the border, based on intergovernmental standards.
The dispute over the border between the two countries is not a new issue. Almost all Afghan governments in recent decades have not recognised this border. During Hamid Karzai's presidency, government agencies were instructed to refer to it as the "imaginary Durand Line," but Pakistan asserts that this line is the official border between the two countries, recognised internationally.
Kioumars Heydari, the commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, has responded to the Taliban's objections against the plan to seal the border, declaring, "We intend to seal our borders, and no one has the right to object."
The Taliban had previously asserted that Afghanistan does not pose a threat to any nation and questioned the necessity of such a plan.
In reaction to Iran's border closure initiative with Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid informed the press that any such measure should be founded on mutual agreement.
Mujahid further remarked that Afghanistan does not endanger the security of any nation, including Iran, and stated, "There is currently no need for such measures."
Countering the statements made by the Taliban spokesperson, the Iranian Army's Ground Forces commander said, "We have always respected the principle of good neighbourliness with all our geographical neighbours, and the Islamic Republic has never had the intention to threaten, invade, aggress upon, or occupy even an inch of neighbourly territories."
Heydari further mentioned, "It's a common practice for all countries to implement border closures according to their own strategies and plans, and no one has the right to question our actions near our border."
He underlined that it is the prerogative of the Islamic Republic to decide on measures for securing its borders and "thus, others cannot impose on us what actions we should take along our borders”.
The Ground Forces commander had previously announced that the initial phase of the Afghanistan-Iran border closure project, extending over 74 kilometres, is in progress.
Heydari has referred to this initiative as one of "Iran's most significant national projects”.
This military official from Iran disclosed that the initial phase of border sealing is being carried out through four construction operations, with fencing currently being erected and road construction set to commence subsequently.
Following the Taliban's ascension to power in Afghanistan, there have been multiple confrontations between Taliban forces and Iranian border guards in Iran's western regions.