Afghan Leaders Call For Liberation Of Afghanistan From Taliban 'Occupation'

The attack reportedly resulted in the deaths of three Taliban members and injuries to five others.

The group disclosed on the social media platform X that the convoy was associated with the Taliban's Ministry of Interior.

As of now, the Taliban has not issued any comments regarding the incident. However, several sources contacted by Afghanistan International reported hearing "the sound of a powerful explosion" in Kabul earlier that day, specifically in the Barki area.

According to the sources, they had travelled from the United States to Khost to visit their families.

The sources confirmed to the Pashto section of Afghanistan International on Tuesday, that the Taliban have been holding these members of the so-called "Khost Protection Force" in prison for the past two years.

According to information received, these forces, who had gone to the United States for training, returned to Khost province after receiving their certifications.

The KPF was a group of local soldiers in Khost province, trained and equipped by the US intelligence agency, CIA. This organisation used them to fight the Taliban.

Families of some of the prisoners said that they are afraid to speak out due to fear of the Taliban.

Two residents of the Tani district of Khost, whose family members are imprisoned, said, "When these soldiers came from the United States to Khost, a few days later the Taliban intelligence agents arrested them in the district centre."

The families of these soldiers, who for security reasons refrain from revealing their names, say that members of this unit are being severely tortured in Taliban prisons.

According to sources, the Taliban members are interrogating these individuals because of their programmes and jobs in the United States.

Some families in Khost said that members of the KPF are being held at the Taliban intelligence headquarters in Khost, and the Taliban do not allow them to meet with their family members.

Some residents of Khost confirmed to Afghanistan International that Taliban intelligence officials in the Khost capital and districts have also threatened some families of the KPF members with death.

A source in Khost province said, "The KPF and their families have become a source of income for the Taliban. Taliban members demand dollars in exchange for not harming their families."

One former member of the KPF in the United States said that he is in talks with US officials to help secure the release of his former comrades from Taliban prison.

So far, neither the Taliban nor US officials have officially commented on this matter.

Reports indicate that the number of KPF members reached seven thousand. This unit was solely directed by the CIA, based in Khost, and operated independently of Afghan security institutions.

The AFF claims that a Taliban commander had been killed and three other Taliban members were injured in the attack.

According to the AFF’s statement, the Taliban commander was Fazluddin Osmani. A Taliban military vehicle was also destroyed in the attack.

The AFF has also released a video purportedly showing this attack.

The Taliban's Ministry of Interior has not yet commented on the incident.

The court's statement indicated that this person was also sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.

The Taliban stated that the individual was punished based on the decision of the Taliban's court in Deh Yak district and confirmed by the group's Supreme Court.

The statement did not mention the gender of the accused. The Taliban punished this individual with 39 lashes.

Despite international condemnation of corporal punishment, the Taliban continues to carry out similar sentences.

Human rights organisations state that in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the accused have no access to any standard judicial process or fair legal mechanisms.

This train departed from Herat to Turkiye in April and was stopped in Iran for a while.

So far, Taliban and Turkish authorities have not commented on the arrival of this train in Turkiye.

The Taliban Railway Administration had announced that for the first time, 1,100 metric tonnes of minerals have been exported to the Mersin city of Turkiye.

According to ISNA, after a brief stop in Iran, this train arrived in Van, Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, on Tuesday.

Although Iranian authorities have not officially stated the reason for the train's stoppage, media outlets in the country reported, citing an Iranian official, that the transit train from Afghanistan was halted due to a lack of necessary coordination between the eastern railway and customs of Iran.