Nearly 700 Afghan Migrants Forcibly Deported By Pakistan In Single Day, Says Taliban

According to Bani Yaghoub, these individuals were detained in the city of Karaj on April 7 and remain in custody.

Bani Yaghoub, who is well-versed in Afghan affairs and has close ties to the National Resistance Front, indicated that the group led by Ahmad Massoud has verified the membership of the detained individuals and is calling for their release.

She further explained that among those detained is a senior commander of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. Iranian media, citing Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, a police spokesperson, reported on Saturday that three people were arrested on charges related to membership in "ISIS units”.

However, earlier sources close to the National Resistance Front informed Afghanistan International that the three young men have no connections to ISIS. These sources stressed that the detainees are relatives of Khair Mohammad Andarabi, a distinguished NRF commander who had sought refuge in Iran to avoid Taliban retaliation. Khair Mohammad Khairkhwa Andarabi was killed on December 26, 2022, during combat against the Taliban in Andarab.

Zhila Bani Yaghoub is a prominent Iranian journalist recognised for her extensive work on Afghan resistance, particularly her book on Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the anti-Taliban resistance in the 1990s.

According to the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazemi Qomi lauded the efforts by the group to remove obstacles and finally allow the flow of Helmand water to Sistan, Iran.

He views this development as a significant factor in expanding Tehran's relations with the Taliban.

In a statement on the X social media platform, the Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi highlighted the positive relations between Iran and Afghanistan, expressing a desire to further expand these ties in all domains. Kazemi Qomi commended the Taliban for their stance against the recent Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

The Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli assault, describing it as a breach of diplomatic norms and a provocative act.

Kazemi Qomi, who also serves as Iran's ambassador to Kabul, expressed hope that the Taliban will continue to honour Iran's water rights in the years to come.

Reflecting on recent climate benefits, the Taliban's Foreign Minister noted, "Recent rainfall has led to the Helmand River in Nimroz Province flowing downstream into Sistan after several years of severe drought."

Earlier, on Wednesday, the Vice-President of Iran confirmed that Iran's annual water rights from the Helmand River have been officially allocated.

AGT emphasised that the arrests were motivated by their origins from Panjshir and the group's recent disclosures about the Taliban's governmental institutions.

Sources informed Afghanistan International on Sunday that the Taliban had detained Mir Khawaja Mujahid, the head of Afghanistan's powerlifting federation; General Isa, a former official in the previous Afghan government's intelligence and interior ministries; and his son, accusing them of affiliating with AGT in Kabul.

Previously, AGT had released documents identifying 58 senior Taliban intelligence members and approximately six thousand department personnel, all reportedly trained in Pakistan.

Moreover, AGT disclosed a list of 189 senior Taliban officials, alleging the establishment of "a network of individuals from the same clan, tribe, and madrasa" within the Ministry of Defence. It noted that only one official is non-Taliban, and all had received education in Pakistani religious schools.

AGT also reported that General Isa hails from a village in Panjshir, the birthplace of Amrullah Saleh, the former Vice-President of Afghanistan. Contrarily, a source claimed that General Isa is a relative of Saleh and previously collaborated with him as an advisor in the Ministry of Interior.

AGT remarked that the Taliban perceive "the backbone of Afghanistan's Green Trend and its members as the people of Panjshir”.

Following the arrests of General Isa and his son, Hamid Khorasani, a Taliban member, circulated a statement in the media alleging that Isa is related to Saleh and engaged in "propaganda" and "destructive activities" against the Taliban.

AGT has dismissed these claims by Taliban sources, affirming that General Isa and his son were targeted solely for their Panjshir origins.

According to Hengaw, the recent executions included four Afghan prisoners at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad in the early hours of Thursday, 18 April.

Additionally, on Wednesday, 17 April, Hojatullah Bakhtawer, a 23-year-old prisoner, was executed at Tabriz Central Prison.

The Iranian government's official sources have yet to confirm these executions. Previously, Iranian officials had reported that approximately 6000 Afghan citizens are imprisoned in Iran on various charges.

The group's statement detailed that the attack resulted in casualties among the Taliban, with 10 people reported killed or injured.

The attack targeted a civilian bus as it passed through a Taliban checkpoint in the third district of Kabul city, according to ISIS. Initial reports from Taliban officials, however, stated that the explosion, caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a passenger bus, killed one person and wounded three others.

Khalid Zadran, the spokesperson for the Taliban police command, confirmed the details of the incident. This violent act occurs amidst ongoing assertions by Taliban officials that they have effectively suppressed ISIS in Afghanistan, countering foreign assertions about the group's active presence as mere "propaganda."