Taliban’s Defence Minister Meets Qatari Defence Minister

Miller added that the US is committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan.

During a press conference, in response to the question of Marzia Hosseini, Afghanistan International’s reporter, he said that one of the ways through which they continue to do so is by addressing macroeconomic issues, which provides stability for the current humanitarian response to become more effective.

He mentioned that the US provided more than USD 2 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since August 2021.

In its quarterly report to US Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) revealed that the United States has provided assistance to Afghanistan totalling USD 11.21 billion following its withdrawal from the country. According to SIGAR, the US allocated over USD 2.6 billion to Afghanistan between October 2021 and December 2023.

As per the report, the US Department of Defence has spent over USD 5.82 billion in humanitarian, natural disaster, and civil aid sectors up to September 30, 2022.

Within the total aid of $11.21 billion, SIGAR mentioned the transfer of USD 3.5 billion from Afghanistan’s frozen assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan to the Afghan Trust Fund in Switzerland as part of the US assistance to Afghanistan.

Despite the urgent humanitarian needs of 10.3 million people in Afghanistan, the United Nations had announced last month that its partners have reduced aid.

Two former Afghan soldiers informed Afghanistan International that it has been said that the re-registration is to facilitate the situation of these refugees, though the primary objective of it remains uncertain.

As per reports received by Afghanistan International, the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs in Iran has reached out to several former Afghan security forces seeking their specifications.

A former Afghan army officer told Afghanistan International that an Iranian official from the foreign immigrants’ office contacted him and asked where he had previously served and what was his position.

At the same time, Iran has taken a census of Afghan immigrants and issued residence permits for them.

So far, the Iranian government has not officially commented on the census and the creation of facilities for the former Afghan security forces who took refuge in Iran.

Following the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghans, including the security force members of the previous government, took refuge in other countries, including Iran.

However, Iran has identified hundreds of thousands of Afghans in various provinces and handed them over to the Taliban over the past months.

Like other countries, Iran does not recognise the Taliban, however, it has maintained close diplomatic and economic relations with the group.

About a week ago, the Iranian Ministry of Justice announced that Iran has handed over 1,136 Afghan prisoners to the Taliban in the past year.

This meeting comes in the wake of concerns voiced by Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, who recently pinpointed Afghanistan as a threat to the stability of Central Asia.

Shoigu elaborated on these concerns in a briefing with Russia's high-ranking military officials, revealing a concerning 15 percent surge in ISIS fighters within Afghanistan.

Details from a statement released on Tuesday by the Taliban's Ministry of Interior revealed that Haqqani and Zhirnov's discussions also touched upon the broader situation in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, although specifics of their dialogue on security cooperation remain undisclosed.

While the Taliban persistently refute claims of terrorist factions and ISIS' presence within the country, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO)—where Russia plays a key role—has issued several warnings about the active presence of ISIS fighters near the Afghan-Tajikistan border.

In response to these escalating threats, the CSTO is set to ratify a strategy aimed at bolstering the security framework along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border within this calendar year.

Ismail Miakhel, the ex-director of Afghanistan's National Radio and Television, emphasised at the conference that the Taliban only respond to military force.

The roundtable discussions on the first day focused on governance, civic participation, and the distribution of political power, with a special emphasis on strategies for dealing with the Taliban.

Afghanistan International's correspondent reported that Ismail Miakhel highlighted the necessity of applying both political and economic pressures. He stated, "Should these measures prove ineffective, the military option must remain on the table. To my knowledge, the Taliban have remained unchanged over the past two years, showing no understanding beyond the use of force."

Ali Mohammadi, a former presidential advisor, encouraged open dialogue and interaction with the Taliban, but faced criticism from other participants.

Rahmatullah Yarmal, former governor of Zabul, advocated for continued resistance against the Taliban.

Women at the conference also voiced their concerns about the deteriorating conditions for Afghan women and strongly opposed any form of engagement with the Taliban.

The discussions, held in Dari, Pashto, and Uzbek, are scheduled to continue through Tuesday.

Quoting security sources, Dawn reported that the involvement of Afghan citizens in "terrorist" actions in Pakistan has been confirmed once again.

This Pakistani media outlet stated that a 16-year-old suicide bomber was also killed among the fighters.

Disclosing the identity of the fighters, it wrote that these TTP fighters were from Khost, Logar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan.

Last week, Pakistani security forces in North Waziristan killed six militants and seized a large number of weapons and equipment.

Earlier, Pakistani authorities had accused the Taliban of collaborating with TTP, alleging the use of US weapons left in Afghanistan in attacks against Pakistan's security forces.

In response, the Taliban refuted these allegations, advising Pakistan to address its internal issues rather than blaming others.