China Promises Taliban To Extract Aynak Copper Mine Without Damaging Cultural Heritage

Sources from Helmand told Afghanistan International's Pashto on Tuesday that Taliban’s intelligence agents raided Ishaqzai’s home in Lashkargah city, then arrested him and his two sons.

Ishaqzai is the head of a social association and previously has been a member of the consultative Loya Jirga in the former Afghan government.

While his family has not commented on the matter so far, close friends of Ishaqzai said that the Taliban severely beat up and tortured him and one of his sons, and after two days of detention, they released his second son.

It has been noted that following the Taliban's takeover of power, Ishaqzai had ceased his political activities and started business operations.

Officials from the Taliban in Helmand have refrained from providing any comments on the matter.

Barkatullah Rasuli, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice, recently issued a warning via a video message, saying that individuals involved in political activities will face severe legal repercussions. He emphasised that only charitable organisations are currently permitted to operate.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice disclosed that over the past year, it has referred two political parties, 75 associations, and several charity organisations to security agencies for "illegal" activities.

Recently, the Taliban’s Supreme Court also announced that for the first time in Kandahar two individuals had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for political activities, and another individual had been sentenced to 30 lashes.

They declared on Monday that there is no justification for Azimi's detention. The experts' statement highlighted that Ahmad Fahim Azimi has been held for the past six months for advocating educational rights.

The signatories include Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, along with six other UN experts.

Azimi, known for his work in education advocacy, and his colleague, Sadiqullah Afghan, were arrested on September 16, 2023, by Taliban’s intelligence agency in Kabul's Kart-e-Char area and were subsequently incarcerated in Pul-e-Charkhi prison.

Amnesty International, on Wednesday, confirmed the release of Sadiqullah Afghan from prison.

The UN experts' joint statement raised alarms about the persistent arrests of human rights defenders and educational activists.

They emphasised that education is a fundamental right and that advocates for this cause should not face persecution.

In the last two and a half years, the Taliban have detained, tortured, and jailed numerous human rights activists, women, and journalists under various pretexts, with many still in captivity.

These migrants returned to Afghanistan on Sunday through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings, as stated in the ministry's announcement.

On Monday, the ministry cited officials from the Torkham border administration reporting that 284 individuals were deported through Torkham and another 389 through Spin Boldak in Kandahar.

The ministry noted that each deported family was provided with financial assistance of 10,000 Afghanis.

Additionally, the deported migrants were identified for further assistance and referred to the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organisation for Migration.

According to the ministry, as the second phase of the forced deportation of Afghans from Pakistan commenced, thousands of migrants are being deported to Afghanistan daily.

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.