Islamabad Claims It Targeted Members of Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Not Afghan People

The Taliban's police commander in Kandahar confirmed that three people had been killed and 12 others have been injured due to the explosion in the city's first security district.

Some Taliban members in Kandahar and witnesses have described the death toll due to the explosion as “high”. In fact, some members of the group at the Kandahar police command told Afghanistan International that the casualty figures are higher than those officially announced.

Multiple sources among the Taliban and healthcare workers in Kandahar have put the death toll at 17, with at least 45 others injured.

The Taliban have stated the explosion was the result of a suicide attack, claiming mostly civilian victims. Residents of Kandahar said that the explosion was extremely powerful and could be heard from afar.

A statement released on Thursday by the Taliban's police command in Kandahar reported that the injured had been transferred to the hospital and investigations into the explosion are underway.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet.

Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar had also announced that the victims of this attack had been transferred there and need blood donations.

Recently, Mullah Shirin, the Taliban’s governor in Kandahar, had advised the group's security institutions to strengthen security measures in Kandahar.

Afghanistan International has learned that this council was formed with the coordination of Atta Mohammad Noor, Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, and Ismail Khan, former governor of Herat.

However, Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of the other faction of Jamiat-e-Islami is not a member of it.

Meanwhile, in the statement published on Noor’s X social media platform account, no one’s name has been mentioned as the member of the council.

The statement added that the council was formed with "unity, cooperation, and coordination among all the members of Jamiat-e Islami” and will be the highest authority for understanding, cohesion, and decision-making among the forces of the party.

This statement attributed the formation of the council to the collective efforts of a group of sincere and dedicated members of the party.

Last month, Atta Mohammad Noor and Salahuddin Rabbani, leaders of two factions of the Jamiat-e Islami party, discussed expanding and strengthening coordination, mobilisation, and collaboration in decision-making.

Furthermore, the position of other senior members of the Jamiat-e Islami party regarding the formation of this council is not clear.

According to the latest statement, the newly formed council includes three offices, "Secretariat," "Think Tank," and "Spokesperson's Office”. Hussamuddin Taleqani has been introduced as the spokesperson of the council.

So far, the statement has only been published by Noor. Massoud and Ismail Khan have not commented on this matter yet.

Since March 18, 2021, when Atta Mohammad Noor was declared the "leader" of one faction of the Jamiat-e Islami in a meeting of several party leaders, the party has split into two factions; one under the leadership of Noor and the other under the leadership of Rabbani.

Apart from these two factions, several other party members have aligned themselves around other prominent figures such as Ahmad Massoud and Ismail Khan.

Currently, the majority of leaders from all factions of the Jamiat-e Islami are located outside Afghanistan. In recent months, Ismail Khan stated in an interview with Afghanistan International that the party currently has no leader.

The Taliban's Ministry of Interior Affairs stated that Haqqani and Ilham Mohammadov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, discussed religious, political, and cultural relations between the two countries, emphasising on their expansion.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry described the start of the embassy activities of Azerbaijan in Kabul as a "historic step" between Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.

It added that both countries share many commonalities in religious and cultural matters. Last month, both Taliban and Azerbaijan dispatched their ambassadors to Baku and Kabul. Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Afghanistan presented his credentials to Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister on February 15.

The Taliban's Ministry of Interior stated that Mohammadov also praised the Taliban's efforts in ensuring security and combating drug trafficking.

According to the police, the two individuals were ordered by the ISIS Khorasan branch to carry out the attack in response to the burning of the Quran in Sweden and other countries.

The German Federal Police announced on Tuesday that the Federal Prosecutor's Office had arrested Ibrahim and Ramin, Afghan citizens, based on a court order in the city of Gera, Thuringia state.

The police further stated that Ibrahim has been strongly suspected of having membership and supporting ISIS, and Ramin has also been accused of supporting this terror group.

According to the German police, these two Afghan citizens have been supporters of ISIS's ideology since 2023, with Ibrahim joining the ISIS Khorasan branch in Germany in August.

The press release detailed that in the summer of 2023, ISIS tasked Ibrahim with executing an attack in Europe as a reaction to the Quran burning in Sweden. The German police said that Ibrahim, with Ramin's collaboration, intended to kill police officers and other individuals with firearms in the vicinity of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm.

The police revealed that the two Afghan citizens had made preparations for the attack in consultation with ISIS, examined the local conditions around the potential crime scene online, and made several unsuccessful attempts to purchase weapons.

The Federal Police of Germany mentioned that Ibrahim, with Ramin's cooperation, had previously collected approximately two thousand euros for ISIS and sent it to North Syria through an intermediary.

The suspects will soon be presented to the Federal Court.

This retired US General stressed that he considers the Taliban a terrorist organisation.

General McKenzie, on Tuesday, provided explanations during a hearing of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on the manner of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

McKenzie emphasised that the empowerment of ISIS and Al-Qaeda should be America's primary concern regarding Afghanistan and urged vigilance over the country for this reason.

Taliban officials have stated they will not allow any group to use Afghan soil to launch attacks. However, they have refused to crack down on Al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Afghanistan.

The former CENTCOM commander mentioned that the Taliban's policies, particularly their severe violation of human rights, will not alter America's perspective on Afghanistan under Taliban rule in the coming decades.