Former US Official: Pakistan Aided in Al-Qaeda Fight, Not Taliban Elimination

This Iranian official stated that the Chabahar to Milak railway will be operational by mid-next year.

In May 2016, the leaders of the previous Afghan government, India, and Iran signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port.

The aim of this agreement was to create a trade and transit corridor among the regional countries.

The Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium consists of several private Iranian companies. Iranian officials have stated that this consortium does not operate under the Iranian government.

In an interview with the IRAF, Rezaei said, "Of course, connecting Kandahar to Chabahar is a top priority for the Taliban, besides this Herat will also be connected with the construction of the Milak to Chabahar railway."

He added that aside from the Afghanistan railway network connecting Uzbekistan and Pakistan, other Afghan railways have been designed to meet standards. Additionally, the Herat to Turkmenistan railway will also be upgraded to meet these standards.

The CEO of the Afghanistan Rail Development Consortium emphasised that the Kandahar to Milak and Chabahar railway will be constructed to standards within Afghan territory and will cover part of Afghanistan's exports, including minerals, dried fruits, and oilseeds to countries other than Iran.

The Chabahar port reduces Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistani ports and facilitates India's access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy economic chief, recently said at a meeting in Kabul that expanding regional relations prevents trade dependence on specific countries.

After the relations between the Taliban and Pakistan soured, Mullah Baradar led a Taliban delegation to Tehran and signed agreements.

Additionally, Indian Prime Minister called Chabahar the "corridor of peace and prosperity" and emphasised on its capacity to increase trade and commerce across the region.

Zhirnov stated that every country has its own motivations for relations with Afghanistan.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special envoy to Afghanistan, had said in June that the proposal to remove the Taliban from the list of banned organisations in Russia had been submitted to Vladimir Putin for a final decision.

Kabulov mentioned that there are still issues concerning the Taliban, and a decision will be made after those are resolved.

The Russian ambassador also stated that cooperation between Moscow and Kabul in supplying oil products has begun.

According to him, given that both Russia and the Taliban are under sanctions, the dollar currency has been removed from trade transactions, and traders from both countries are using rubles and afghanis.

Zhirnov also noted that Russia's exports to Afghanistan have increased, with more food and fuel being exported to Afghanistan.

Rezazadeh warned of the infiltration of terrorists into Iranian territory and emphasised that arms smuggling is ongoing at the Iranian border.

In an interview with the Iranian news agency Shafaqna, he said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran shares approximately 1,950 kilometres of border with Afghanistan and Pakistan; in other words, our provinces of South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, North Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and even Hormozgan are bordering the two countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Given my understanding of these two borders, unfortunately, the authorities of Afghanistan and Pakistan do not have full control over their borders."

He emphasised that "bandits and terrorist elements" dominate the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that arms traffickers are present across these borders.

The Iranian parliament member stated that Iran's forces are making significant efforts to maintain border security and have full oversight of the borders, but according to him, the topography of the border makes human control very difficult.

Rezazadeh said that Iran needs electronic tools, cameras, and modern equipment to maintain the security of its borders.

He called on the Iranian Ministry of Interior to devise a special plan for border control.

Rezazadeh further stated that the inability to control the borders has resulted in several thousand Afghans, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis entering Iran illegally each year.

He said, "It is possible that among the illegal entrants, there are also terrorists."

These remarks come as Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president-elect, said during his election campaign that he would close the border with Afghanistan if elected.

He said that Western countries must take responsibility for their actions in Afghanistan, which have led to the migration of millions of Afghans.

Baloch emphasised that the Afghan Taliban must take serious action against groups involved in "terrorist attacks" in Pakistan.

In her weekly press conference, she said that the Pakistani government is engaged in combating terrorist activities within the country, but the terrorist group Hafiz Gul Bahadur has been given refuge in Afghanistan.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur is one of the key commanders of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani officials say that this militant commander opposing the Pakistani government resides in Afghanistan.

The spokesperson also acknowledged that the Pakistani government has shared its concerns about the Bannu attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Taliban officials.

Baloch added that "terrorist activities" are a major threat to the bilateral relations between the two countries, endangering Pakistan's stability. She said that terrorists using Afghan soil threaten global peace.

In recent months, the group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur has claimed responsibility for several bloody attacks in Pakistan.

In the latest incident, the Pakistani army said that on Monday, fighters from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group attacked a military base in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This attack resulted in the deaths of eight Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistani officials said that two of the attackers were Afghans. The Taliban have consistently denied the allegations.

In a statement released on Friday, the department stated that Amin ul-Haq was involved in numerous terrorist activities.

Dawn, Pakistani newspaper, reported that Amin ul-Haq's name is on the UN's global terrorist list.

Pakistan has described the arrest of Amin ul-Haq as a significant breakthrough in the fight against terrorism in Pakistan and globally.

The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department said that this senior Al-Qaeda leader was planning a large-scale terrorist project.

Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011 during a US raid on his hideout in the Abbottabad city of Pakistan.

According to a report by Afghanistan International published in September 2021, Amin ul-Haq entered Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban seized control of Kabul. A video circulating on social media at that time showed a convoy transporting Amin ul-Haq from Pakistan to Nangarhar province.