Taliban's Special Suicide Unit Patrols Afghan-Pak Border In Kandahar

Jun 10, 2024, 08:45 GMT+1

On Sunday, Taliban-controlled National Television reported that the 205 Al-Badr Corps' suicide squad in Kandahar, led by their Chief of Staff, patrolled the border with Pakistan.

After completing their mission, these forces returned to their service location.

The report stated that the Badri suicide unit inspected the weapons and personnel previously stationed along the border and provided recommendations to the officials there. National Television in Kandahar also released an image of this suicide unit.

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Iran & Pakistan Expel 2,000 Afghan Refugees In Single Day

Jun 9, 2024, 14:41 GMT+1

The Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced on Sunday that over two thousand Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in a single day.

The ministry stated that 324 Afghans were expelled from Pakistan and 1,773 from Iran. According to the ministry, women and children were among these refugees.

The expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan has significantly increased in recent months, with hundreds of Afghans being deported daily from these two countries.

Officials in Pakistan and Iran have claimed that they are deporting Afghans without valid residency documents back to Afghanistan. However, some returned refugees have reported that they were forced to return despite having legal residency documents.

Many Afghans were forced to leave their country and migrate to Iran and Pakistan following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Some of these refugees sought refuge in Pakistan and Iran at the request of Western countries to process their immigration cases.

It is reported that among the refugees being returned from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan, there are some former government employees and military personnel who fled the country out of fear of Taliban retribution.

Taliban Reports $71 Million In Amu Darya Crude Oil Sales In Ten Days

Jun 9, 2024, 11:24 GMT+1

Humayun Afghan, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, announced that the group has sold 130,000 tons of crude oil from the Amu Darya basin for USD 71.6 million over the past ten days.

He added that an additional 20,000 tons of crude oil will be put up for bidding on Sunday.

In a post on the X social media platform, this Taliban official claimed that this is the first time 150,000 tons of crude oil have been sold in Afghanistan within two weeks. Previously, the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum had stated that Afghanistan, with a daily requirement of 50,000 barrels of oil, currently imports almost all of its needed fuel from neighbouring countries such as Iran and Uzbekistan.

However, in December of last year, Bloomberg reported that China’s Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co. had tripled its crude oil production in Afghanistan. According to the Taliban, the drilling of new wells will generate approximately USD 500 million in annual revenue for the group's government.

Under the terms of the contract, the Chinese company will invest $150 million in the first year and $540 million over the next three years to explore five oil and gas blocks covering an area of 4,500 square kilometres in northern Afghanistan.

Chinese and Pakistani Leaders Call For Inclusive Government In Afghanistan

Jun 9, 2024, 10:33 GMT+1

In a joint statement, Chinese and Pakistani leaders have called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan. The statement urges the Taliban to resolutely fight terrorism and adopt moderate policies.

Chinese and Pakistani leaders met on Friday, 7 June, in Beijing. Chinese president Xi Jinping assured Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif that China, as always, firmly supports Pakistan and its national sovereignty. The joint statement, released on Sunday, indicates that China and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on the issue of Afghanistan.

Another part of the statement calls on the Taliban to fight terrorism resolutely and prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorist activities. Both sides also called for coordinated international efforts to address the challenges in Afghanistan.

The emphasis on combating terrorism comes after Chinese citizens were recently targeted and killed in Pakistan. Recently, Asiaweek reported that following Islamabad's failure to prevent attacks on Chinese interests in Pakistan, Chinese diplomats have stepped in. The Chinese media outlet wrote that Beijing has conditioned its investments in Afghanistan on the prevention of attacks on its interests in Pakistan.

Afghanistan Makes Independent Decisions, Says Taliban Official

Jun 9, 2024, 09:45 GMT+1

Zakir Jalali, an official from the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated, "Afghanistan is no longer an issue."

He asserted that, like other countries, particularly those in the region, Afghanistan under Taliban control has its own issues and is actively seeking solutions.

Jalali mentioned that the Taliban makes decisions independently based on its foreign policy priorities. Notably, the Taliban did not participate in the contact group meeting in Tehran. During this meeting, the Iranian representative urged the Taliban to form a government inclusive of various social groups due to the ongoing severe crisis.

On Saturday, Jalali wrote on his X social media platform, "Today, Afghanistan is an actor that, like any other country, makes independent decisions based on its own assessments, calculations, and foreign policy priorities."

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, commented on the absence of Taliban representatives at the Tehran meeting, saying, "They made their own decision." Qomi emphasised that the recommendation to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan does not imply interference in the country's affairs.

Tehran Meeting to Discuss "Collective Engagement with Taliban", Says Iranian Official

Jun 8, 2024, 16:59 GMT+1

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, said that participants in the Tehran meeting will discuss collective engagement with the Taliban.

Qomi said, "We must bear in mind that the events that occur leave their impacts on the region."

He stated that the Tehran meeting would also discuss holding the third meeting of the Regional Contact Group for Afghanistan.

The second meeting of the Contact Group for Afghanistan began on Saturday morning in Tehran. Representatives from Russia, China, and Pakistan are attending this meeting.

Ali Bagheri Kani, the Acting Foreign Minister of Iran, also stated that "occupiers" should contribute to addressing Afghanistan's economic backwardness without political interference.

Bagheri Kani urged the United Nations to pay more attention to the "humanitarian situation" in Afghanistan.

Rasoul Mousavi, General Director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's West Asia Department, read Bagheri Kani's message at the start of the Contact Group meeting on Afghanistan.

In his message, it has been stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports constructive initiatives to ensure stability, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Afghanistan.

The Acting Foreign Minister of Iran says that, in this regard, the country has taken steps over the past three years to help the people of Afghanistan endure the hardships resulting from the "foreign occupation period" and the subsequent instability.

Zakir Jalali, an official from the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed that the group was invited to the meeting in Tehran regarding Afghanistan, but they will not attend it.

He mentioned that the Taliban expects meetings about Afghanistan to be held "through usual and established mechanisms”.

This meeting is scheduled to take place today in Tehran, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Jalali noted that representatives from Russia, Iran, and China have referred to this meeting by different names.

He explained, Iran calls this meeting the "Regional Contact Group," Russia refers to it as the "Moscow Format Contact Group Meeting," and China, which had opposed the "International Contact Group" for Afghanistan in the UN Security Council, considers the Tehran meeting as an opportunity for consultation.