Taliban’s Interior Minister Assures Uzbekistan's FM Of Security Situation In Afghanistan

Tasmagambetov said that the draft of this plan has been approved by the organisation’s Permanent Council and presented to the member countries.

Tajikistan, which is a member of CSTO, shares it’s border with Afghanistan.

Tajik authorities have repeatedly expressed their concerns about the threat posed by terrorist groups within Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General of the CSTO told TASS news agency that discussions on finalising the plan have been held between the member countries' ministers and relevant bodies of the organisation in recent weeks (late February-early March).

“Here it is important to note the political will of the leadership of two of the organisation’s members, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, who are aware of the scale of the threats emanating from Afghanistan,” he said.

Tasmagambetov expressed hope that the Secretariat of the CSTO would present the results of its work in the first half of the year.

The "Collective Security Treaty" was signed in May 1992 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 2002, this treaty was given the status of an international organisation in Moscow.

Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are members of this organisation.

The front stated that in this attack, two Taliban members had been killed and two others were injured.

Earlier, the NRF had reported that it had attacked a Taliban checkpoint in the "Panjsad Family" neighbourhood of Kabul, where two Taliban members had been killed and one other person was injured.

This is the third guerrilla attack by the Front in the past two days.

Guterres added that the world is going through turbulent times, and women and girls are facing severe hardships.

In his speech on Tuesday at the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, he emphasised on the improvement of the situation of women, especially in conflict-affected countries.

The Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations is the largest global gathering on the status of women, held annually at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

The Taliban government, known for its extensive restrictions on women and recognised for its anti-women stance worldwide, has consistently rejected the global community's requests, especially from Islamic countries, to change its edicts.

During the nearly three years of Taliban rule, women have been deprived of many basic rights, including education, employment, sports, travel, and even going to parks.

Women's rights activists have repeatedly called for the recognition of "gender apartheid" in Afghanistan under the Taliban control.

On Sunday, the UN Women's Office expressed concern in a note on its social media account that restrictions on women in Afghanistan are becoming normalised.

Mullah Shirin is close to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader. Last year, he was appointed as the governor of Taliban in Kandahar province in a decree attributed to the group’s leader.

A few months after the appointment, he travelled to Pakistan. Earlier, he had served as the deputy of intelligence for Taliban’s Ministry of Defence.

According to the RTA, in the meeting with Nizamani, Mullah Shirin congratulated him for the recent elections in Pakistan.

It has been reported that the Taliban’s governor and the Pakistani Ambassador discussed strengthening bilateral relations during the meeting.

The purpose of this Pakistani diplomat's trip to Kandahar has not been disclosed, and it is unclear if he met with the Taliban leader or not.

However, RTA reported that Nizamani is expected to go to Pakistan following his visit to Kandahar and meet the Foreign Minister and the new officials of his country.

Furthermore, the report highlights that the factions opposing the Taliban are struggling due to a lack of strong leadership and international support.

The annual assessment of threats to US national security, released on Monday, notes that the Taliban has consolidated its power in Afghanistan and effectively quelled opposition forces.

Since assuming control in August 2021, at least two anti-Taliban military groups have initiated operations against the regime, particularly focusing on the country's northern areas.

These groups, namely the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front, sporadically report on their guerrilla tactics against the Taliban. Despite their efforts, the Taliban has managed to eliminate key members and commanders of these groups, branding them as rebels.

Ahmad Massoud, who leads the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, has been actively engaging in international discussions, participating in meetings in cities like Moscow and Vienna to garner support.

Earlier, in a notable announcement, the Afghanistan Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the deaths of 592 Taliban members and the injury of 699 others over the past two years, showcasing their ongoing resistance.

Despite these efforts, the US intelligence report indicates that the Taliban regime has not only suppressed opposition, but also enhanced its diplomatic engagements globally. However, the report criticises the regime's neglect of Afghanistan's dire humanitarian and economic situation.

The intelligence agencies criticise the Taliban's stringent policies, including the ban on girls' education and the public punishment of dissenters, which continue to suppress basic freedoms and rights.

The international stance, as per the report, remains cautious, with regional powers focusing on containing Afghanistan's issues within its borders while carefully navigating their relationships with the Taliban.

The report also warns of the ISIS-Khorasan's intentions to destabilise the region by targeting foreign interests in Afghanistan, thereby challenging the Taliban's legitimacy.

Despite the Taliban's claims of having subdued ISIS in Afghanistan, the latter has been responsible for numerous attacks, including a significant assault on the Russian embassy in Kabul.

ISIS has not only targeted foreign entities, but also perpetrated attacks against ethnic Hazaras and Shiites, underscoring the persistent threat it poses in the region.

A recent UN Security Council report corroborates the ongoing threat of ISIS in Afghanistan, contradicting the Taliban's assertions of victory over the group, and highlighting the continued instability in the region.