Taliban Trading Afghanistan's Airspace For US Financial Aid, Says Hizb-e Islami Leader

Citing the resumption of stoning women to death, the organisation said that the Taliban is imposing abusive moral and social norms on Afghan women.

On Wednesday, HRW wrote on X social media platform expressing concerns that the Taliban's adoption of one abusive policy after another has brought them to their current position, largely due to a lack of accountability from the international community.

HRW emphasised on the importance of governments holding the Taliban responsible for severe violations of women's and girls' rights, urging actions such as filing cases under the women’s rights convention in the International Court of Justice.

The organisation also warned that if these unchecked abuses persist, even more, severe crimes may follow.

Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, previously warned that without global support for Afghan women, women's rights everywhere are at risk.

On April 9, 2023, the UN Women’s Office stated that excluding Afghan women from decision-making processes deprives Afghanistan of crucial opportunities to emerge from the crisis.

Over the past two and a half years, women in Afghanistan have been denied fundamental rights such as education, employment, sports, travel, visiting parks, and freely walking in the streets.

The Pakistani Army's public relations office stated on Wednesday that Munir assessed the operational readiness of the army and the security situation along the borders with Afghanistan.

The army chief traveled to Miranshah and Spinwam areas in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are in the vicinity of the Khost province of Afghanistan.

This marks the first visit by Pakistan’s Chief of Staff following the country's airstrikes on Khost and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s air force conducted airstrikes on Paktika and Khost in the early morning of March 18. According to Pakistan, the target of the airstrikes was Pakistani Taliban militants on Afghan soil.

Despite Afghan Taliban being called allies in Islamabad, Pakistan's security concerns about the activities of Pakistani militant groups in Afghanistan have increased following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan.

Rezazadeh said, "Taliban and Pakistan forces are not only weak in securing their borders, but also sometimes they collaborate with Jundallah."

In an interview with the Iranian media outlet, Hayat News Agency, this Iranian official stated, "Iran shares approximately 2000 kilometres of border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, yet both countries lack the necessary control over the security of their borders with our country."

He said that the Iranian border forces bear sole responsibility for securing the eastern borders of Iran with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rezazadeh highlighted that the collaboration between the Taliban and Pakistani border forces with Jundallah facilitates the infiltration of this group into Iranian territory.

According to him, while efforts are underway to thwart Jundallah's infiltration into Iran, several members of the Iranian security forces have been killaed in recent attacks.

As of now, officials in Islamabad and the Taliban in Afghanistan have not responded to the remarks made by this Iranian official.

The Russian state news agency, TASS, reported that during a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, CSTO members held a detailed discussion on Afghanistan's situation, where attendees noted the ongoing negative trends affecting the nation's social, economic, and security environments. This meeting marked the 32nd session of the organization's Foreign Ministers Council’s Working Group.

The CSTO underscored its readiness to aid in coordinating the efforts of its member states to foster stabilization and kickstart the peace process in Afghanistan, as stated in the organization's release.

Simultaneously in Moscow, the heads of the anti-terrorism national centers from CSTO countries flagged international terrorist organizations and cyber attacks as significant threats facing their nations.

According to TASS, the discussion pointed to the rise and spread of terrorist threats being linked to the activities of international terrorist groups in regions like Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, in addition to the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The meeting also delved into concerns over the illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition into CSTO territories and the increased adoption of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and robotics, in perpetrating threats.

The CSTO is comprised of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, all uniting under shared security concerns.

As of yet, the Taliban has not commented in this regard, but recent reports indicate that the group has intensified security measures to prevent potential untoward incidents.

Earlier, credible sources provided videos to Afghanistan International showing the Taliban erecting security barriers around the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar.

There are concerns within the Taliban about potential threats to their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, from ISIS during Eid prayers.

The Taliban has allocated 17 mosques for Eid prayers.

Meanwhile, Mullah Shirin, the Taliban governor in Kandahar, announced the deployment of army, intelligence, special forces, and additional units to ensure security across the city and its districts.

The recent suicide bombing in Kandahar, claimed by ISIS, has heightened fears of further attacks by the group. Despite the Taliban's claims of suppressing ISIS, recent attacks in Moscow and international alerts regarding the growing threats from ISIS Khorasan have placed the Taliban on high alert.