The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, has reported that during an assault on a Taliban base in Takhar province on Friday night, one Taliban fighter has been killed and two others got injured.
As per the NRF, the clash lasted for approximately thirty minutes, resulting in the destruction of a Taliban vehicle.
The Taliban has not reacted to the incident yet.
The Front emphasised that its forces remained unharmed in this attack.
NRF is an anti-Taliban military and political faction that has persistently targeted Taliban positions across various areas over the past two and a half years.
Hoda Khamosh, an advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan, announced that a group of women activists from Afghanistan and Iran have convened to push for the acknowledgment of "gender apartheid”.
Khamosh highlighted the group's plan to synchronise their protests to challenge this issue more effectively.
In a recent post on her X social media network account, she stated, "This inaugural meeting of Iranian and Afghan women is focused on eradicating gender apartheid. Our goal is to dismantle the patriarchal structures of the Taliban, which oppress women to consolidate their power, and confront the Islamic Republic of Iran's efforts to suppress and punish its citizens."
A photo shared by Khamosh from the virtual meeting showed the participation of Shukria Barakzai, a former member of the Afghan Parliament, and Masih Alinejad, a vocal critic of the Iranian government.
Alinejad recently named the new Persian year as "the year of unity between Iranians and Afghans against gender apartheid," in a Nowruz greeting, underlining the cross-national solidarity in the fight for women's rights.
Sources have confirmed the arrest of Najibullah Jamil, a university professor and outspoken critic of Taliban policies.
Initially supportive of the Taliban's return to power and their promise of security, Jamil's stance shifted as he openly criticised the group's oppressive regime and curtailment of civil liberties.
Reports indicate that the Taliban’s intelligence agency summoned Jamil on Wednesday and subsequently detained him upon his arrival at their office.
There has been no official comment from the Taliban regarding Jamil's arrest.
Recently, Jamil advocated for girls' educational rights on television, calling for the reopening of schools for female students.
His arrest has sparked outrage on social media, with commentators accusing the Taliban of trying to maintain a state of ignorance and repression among the Afghan population.
In his final post on the social media network X before his arrest, Jamil expressed his commitment to fighting for the Afghan people's civil, political, economic, and cultural rights. He described his advocacy as a "national duty and mission" to uphold the nation's identity, values, and voice.
Speculation has arisen that Jamil's arrest was influenced by his recent demands for the restoration of girls' education and a more inclusive governance system in Afghanistan.
In the last two and a half years, the Taliban has detained numerous female activists, academics, journalists, and policy critics.
Human rights organisations worldwide have demanded the release of these detained individuals, highlighting the Taliban's continued repression and violation of human rights.
The Afghan Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom, in an announcement on Thursday, stated that the statements made by Manizha Seddiqi, an imprisoned activist, were coerced confessions in the presence of the media.
The statement alleges that the Taliban is attempting to "deceive public opinion”.
In the presence of media outlets, controlled by the Taliban, in Pul-e-Charkhi prison, Seddiqi said that she was not tortured in Taliban prison.
Members of the women’s movement have demanded the unconditional release of this women's rights activist from Taliban prison.
Following widespread protests and concerns about the torture of Seddiqi in Taliban prison, Taliban officials say that her condition in prison is good.
Last year in October, the Taliban detained Manizha Seddiqi, a member of the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women, in Kabul.
The Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom Movement emphasised that "obtaining coerced confession is against Islamic ethics and violates the rights of prisoners”.
Condemning the "cruel behaviour of the Taliban,” this movement called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take action for the unconditional release of Seddiqi.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice, emphasising on the prohibition of political parties, announced that engaging in political activities under the guise of a party in Afghanistan is illegal.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry warned political activists of "legal and religious" consequences for repeating political activities.
This Taliban ministry stated that political party activities have been declared as a prohibited act following the group’s takeover of power in 2021, and the directorate of political parties has been revoked and removed from the ministry's structures.
The ministry noted that some officials of political parties have recently "taken action and performed activities from their dissolved party addresses”.
The statement mentions, "The Ministry of Justice considers any activities under the name of a party illegal in Afghanistan and warns that it will take legal and religious action against offenders in case of repetition of such activities."
The ministry did not mention the name of any political activists and did not provide details regarding their actions and positions.
It seems that the Taliban refers to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Hezb-e Islami Party. Recently, the Taliban expelled Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from his residence in Kabul. The Taliban stated that Hekmatyar has been living in government property. This issue sparked extensive debates between members of the party and Taliban officials.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice added that it has suspended the activities of social institutions that were active in the previous government, and only charities and unions can operate in accordance with principles and with official permission from the Taliban's Ministry of Justice.
The ministry also warned charities and other social institutions operating without official permission from the group to cease their activities.
Simultaneously with the release of this announcement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that three individuals have been put on trial, for their involvement in political activities, in a military court in Kandahar.
On Thursday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court stated that two of the accused have been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment each, while the third individual has received a sentence of 30 lashes.
As per the statement issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the third individual has also been handed a prison sentence, although the duration of this imprisonment has not been specified.
This marks the first official announcement by the Taliban’s Supreme Court regarding the trial and punishment of individuals for engaging in political activities. Previously, numerous individuals were detained by the Taliban for their civil and political engagements, yet the group refrained from explicitly addressing penalties for political activities in their official communications.
The Taliban has put three individuals on trial, for their involvement in political activities, in a military court in Kandahar.
On Thursday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court stated that two of the accused have been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment each, while the third individual has received a sentence of 30 lashes.
As per the statement issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the third individual has also been handed a prison sentence, although the duration of this imprisonment is not specified.
This marks the first official announcement by the Taliban’s Supreme Court regarding the trial and punishment of individuals for engaging in political activities. Previously, numerous individuals were detained by the Taliban for their civil and political engagements, yet the group refrained from explicitly addressing penalties for political activities in their official communications.
Earlier, the Taliban's Ministry of Justice had announced the dissolution of all political parties upon the group's takeover of power in August 2021. The group had declared that political activities within the country were strictly prohibited under its control.