Taliban Must Release Radio Free Europe Journalist, Demands Afghanistan Journalists Centre

Azizi highlighted that positive trade relations with neighbouring countries have contributed to maintaining stable prices within Afghanistan despite the closure of certain trade routes.

During a meeting with Maulawi Abdul Kabir, the deputy prime minister for political affairs of the Taliban, the Taliban's Minister of Commerce claimed that due to the "good economic policies" of the group, exports and imports with regional countries have expanded.

This comes as the Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced in March that Afghanistan's exports had decreased by six percent compared to the previous year.

The Taliban wrote that Abdul Kabir appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stating that the efforts of the Taliban and the stability of the Afghan currency had kept the prices of raw materials in Afghanistan in a "suitable condition”.

It is not yet clear which country this drone belongs to. In recent days, drone flights have been spotted in several provinces of the country.

A resident of Parwan province said that the drone was spotted around 9 am on Wednesday.

The Taliban have not commented on this matter so far, but in the past, this group has accused the United States of violating Afghanistan's airspace.

In recent days, residents of the provinces of Badakhshan, Panjshir, Kunar, and Laghman have also reported to Afghanistan International that drones have been seen in the skies of these provinces.

In several cases, these drones have also been spotted in Kandahar province. On April 2, sources reported that unmanned aircraft spent several hours hovering over the office of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban in Kandahar. According to the sources, the drone surveillance made the Taliban concerned and forced them to change their leader's location.

In response to these drone surveillances, the Taliban spokesperson accused the United States of "violating" Afghanistan's airspace.

Earlier, sources also informed Afghanistan International that a drone strike in Giru district of Ghazni province, resulted in the death of 12 people.

However, the Taliban had claimed that this incident was caused by the explosion of a mortar shell, in which, according to them, five women and four children were killed.

Afghanistan International sources rejected the Taliban's statement and said that the incident was due to drone attack, in which 12 people, including three employees of the Ministry of Mines, including Matiullah Bakhtzoi's son, a member of the ministry's evaluation commission, two Taliban members, four women, and three children, were killed.

Senior Taliban officials, including the Defence Minister and the Chief of Staff, have repeatedly stated that Afghanistan's airspace is still under the "occupation" of the United States.

He mentioned on X social media platform that Barya TV’s broadcasts were "religious and Islamic," but the Taliban objected to its content.

The Taliban's media violations investigation commission announced on Tuesday that the broadcasts of "Noor" and "Barya" TV channels have been temporarily halted due to their failure to uphold "national and Islamic principles and values”.

Noor TV is owned by Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of the Jamiat-e-Islami Party, and was established in Kabul in 2007.

Barya TV, affiliated with Hezb-e-Islami, commenced broadcasting five years ago in 2019, also in Kabul. This channel typically airs speeches by Hekmatyar and news related to the party.

Recently, critical comments by Hekmatyar regarding the Taliban were broadcasted on Barya TV, drawing attention in media and social networks.

In response to the Taliban's decision on Tuesday, Habiburrahman Hekmatyar expressed his views. He stated that the Taliban objected to the "religious and Islamic" content aired on Barya TV because it espoused values different from those of the Taliban.

He remarked that the Taliban are promoting their own interpretation of religion, which, in his view, is accompanied by "superstitions”. Hekmatyar's son further noted that their [Hezb-e-Islami] interpretation of religion, advocates for "consultation, rights, education, and knowledge”.

He wrote, "Religion regards the ruler as a servant accountable to the people; it dictates that the leader must be visible among the populace, accountable to them, and transparent in managing Bayt al-mal [public wealth], which are to be audited by the people."

Hekmatyar's son says that the Taliban disregard these principles. He said that the party-affiliated television prioritises religious and national values, not those of the Taliban.

Following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan in 2021, numerous media outlets ceased operations, leading to the unemployment or migration of thousands of journalists.

Nai, an organisation advocating for press freedom in Afghanistan, disclosed last year that after the Taliban's takeover, 52% of the country's visual media outlets stopped operating.

Reports indicate that the Taliban have arrested scores of journalists in the past nearly three years and have severely restricted the media's freedom to operate.

NRF posted on X social media platform that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening in Kabul city's fourth police district.

Releasing a video of the attack, the front said that the target was a vehicle transporting Taliban members.

While the NRF reported a new attack in Kabul city, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) also resumed guerrilla attacks on Taliban targets on Tuesday.

AFF had previously declared a cessation of attacks during the month of Ramadan.

Omari emphasised that if the leaders of the group believe that the system can be built solely with the Taliban and clerics, it is a mistake that he does not accept.

After the takeover of power in Afghanistan, the Taliban sidelined all political factions and formed an interim government by excluding women and ethnic groups from various aspects of society. The group calls its administration the "Islamic Emirate" and has resisted calls for the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of women, ethnic and social groups.

During an exhibition of Khost Mechanical Institute students, Omari said that modern science education is a serious necessity, and emphasised on the need for specialists in various fields.

The Taliban has primarily focused on religious education, and over the past thirty months, they have established hundreds of new religious madrassas. Additionally, the group has modified the school curriculum, increasing the number of religious subjects.

Previously, a spokesperson of the Taliban’s Ministry of Education had stated that subjects contradicting the "Sharia and Afghan culture" have been removed from the educational curriculum.

The ministry has said that modern sciences compatible with the "national and Islamic culture" will be included in the curriculum.

While most members of the Taliban are conservative towards modern science education, some members of the group occasionally emphasise on the need for modern science education.

Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, previously said that those opposing modern sciences are "ignorant and enemies of Muslims disguised in Islamic clothing”.

Despite widespread domestic and international protests, the Taliban has prohibited girls from receiving education beyond the sixth grade. As of now, the group has not taken any steps to reopen girls' schools.