Taliban’s Intelligence Agency Arrests 13 People During Ashura Ceremony
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s Intelligence Agency arrested 13 people in the Jebrael neighbourhood of Herat on the day of Ashura.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s Intelligence Agency arrested 13 people in the Jebrael neighbourhood of Herat on the day of Ashura.
These individuals, whose fate remains unknown, were detained when they were resisting the Taliban intelligence agency’s order to take down Muharram flags.
At least two sources told Afghanistan International that these youths had been detained on Tuesday, in the Haji Abbas area and Al-Mahdi town.
The Taliban intelligence agency also arrested a person named Samad Hazara, who was leading the youths in the Haji Abbas neighbourhood, along with 13 others.
So far, the Taliban group has not commented on the arrest of these youths. According to reports, during the Muharram ceremonies, this group also blocked all the roads in western Kabul under the pretext of security measures and beat up several Ashura mourners.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced on Sunday evening that its forces targeted "Mullah Zarin Gujar, the Taliban's head of transportation" in Baghlan province.
According to the front, in this attack, two Taliban members were "killed”, and there is "no precise information available" about the fate of Mullah Zarin.
Afghanistan International cannot independently verify this attack by AFF.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the matter.
In recent months, AFF has repeatedly claimed to have carried out guerrilla attacks on Taliban forces, checkpoints, and military bases.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the attack by an "extremist gang" on its consulate in Frankfurt, criticising the "failure of German authorities to protect the security" of diplomatic premises.
The ministry stated that the consulate's security was breached, endangering the lives of its staff. The statement called on Germany to immediately arrest the perpetrators of the Saturday attack. It emphasised that, according to the Vienna Convention, protecting the sanctity of consular premises and ensuring the safety of diplomats is the responsibility of the host government.
On Saturday evening, videos circulated on social media showing a number of angry protesters entering the premises of the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt and taking down the country's flag. The incident occurred during a demonstration in support of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement in Pakistan and in protest against the killing of Gilaman Wazir, a member of the movement.
As of now, German police have not commented on the incident.
In a speech marking his first joint campaign with his running mate, J.D. Vance, Donald Trump asserted that the Afghanistan crisis would never have happened if he had been president.
He also stated that he would have retained control of Bagram Air Base, which he claims is now under China's control.
Trump reminded the audience that in August 2021, 13 American soldiers were killed at Kabul Airport. He made these remarks on Saturday, 20 July, during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Trump has repeatedly criticised Joe Biden for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it "shameful."
Two days prior, on the final day of the Republican National Convention, Trump reiterated his criticism of Biden for evacuating Bagram Air Base and leaving military equipment worth $85 billion in Afghanistan. He emphasised that Bagram's significance is not due to Afghanistan but because it is located an hour from China's border.
On Saturday, he also criticised Biden's policies toward China, stressing that if he becomes president, he will revive his previous administration's policies against Beijing, including imposing tariffs on Chinese goods to counter China's influence in the US market. He mentioned having a good relationship with the Chinese President and knowing how to deal with him.
Trump referred to his administration's policies regarding North Korea, claiming that his direct engagement with Kim Jong-un had brought the country's behaviour under control. He also mentioned Iran, adding that during his tenure, the Islamic Republic was bankrupt and had no money, but now it has acquired $250 billion. Trump noted that his administration would handle Iran and any other necessary situations.
Regarding Elon Musk's support, Trump expressed his opposition to the expansion of electric vehicles but noted that he has a good relationship with Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and has his support in the election. Trump mentioned that Musk has contributed $45 million monthly to his campaign, despite never questioning Trump's opposition to electric vehicles. He believes that while he does not want to harm the electric vehicle industry, these vehicles should not dominate the entire market.
Trump also warned about possible election fraud, emphasising that according to polls, he is leading by a significant margin in most US states. He repeated allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, warning that the only thing that could prevent his victory in the 2024 election is interference with the actual results of the votes. He pointed out that Democrats are confused about their candidate, suggesting that they have no idea who their candidate is.
Trump said, "The Democrats say I'm a threat to democracy. But I'll tell you what I've done for democracy. Last week, I took a bullet for democracy."
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), stated that he discussed the eradication of polio in a meeting with Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban's Minister of Health, in Switzerland.
However, Afghan activists criticised the meeting, accusing the Taliban of obstructing polio vaccination efforts in recent years.
On Saturday, 20 July, the WHO Director-General wrote on X that in his meeting with Jalali, they discussed the health situation in Afghanistan and emphasised the need to intensify efforts to eradicate polio. He affirmed that the organisation continues to support the people of Afghanistan, especially women and children.
The Taliban's Ministry of Health stated that Jalali discussed health issues and further coordination with international organisations regarding the control of infectious diseases and the prevention of polio.
"Moral Decline of the World Health Organisation"
This meeting faced severe criticism from human rights activists and former Afghan officials. Fawzia Koofi, a former member of parliament, stated that taking a photo with a Taliban representative who has issued 85 decrees restricting and violating women's rights signifies the "moral decline" of the WHO.
Khoshal Nabizada, former head of public health in Kabul, wrote on X that the Taliban have obstructed the eradication of polio. He noted that polio has been eradicated worldwide except in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but over the past two decades, the Taliban have prevented polio vaccination on both sides of the border.
Nabizada added that UN agencies received millions of dollars in additional resources under the pretext of ensuring the security of polio vaccination campaigns through the Taliban's influence.
He stated that over the past two decades, hundreds of polio vaccinators and health workers have been killed by the Taliban. Such ceremonial meetings, he argued, reflect the double standards of both the Taliban and the United Nations. According to him, neither the Taliban believe in eradicating polio, nor does the United Nations believe that the Taliban will cooperate in these efforts.
Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, responded to the meeting by saying, "Having a meeting with the unrecognised, UN-sanctioned Taliban for humanitarian purposes is one thing, but proudly posing for a propaganda tool for them is vile and an affront to millions of people of Afghanistan under their tyrannical rule and the gender apartheid they commit."
Afghanistan International has obtained a letter from the Taliban's Minister of Public Health stating that he would be attending a meeting in Switzerland about the establishment of polio centres from 8 to 25 July.
In this letter, Noor Jalal Jalali appointed Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada as the acting head of the Ministry of Public Health. Jalali specified that the acting head of the ministry does not have the authority to transfer, dismiss, or hire employees. This comes as the Taliban leader recently appointed Sahibzada as the Acting Minister of Public Health.
Kazakhstan's media has reported that officials from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the Taliban have discussed the construction of a new railway line in a meeting held in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan.
According to the reports, this railway would connect Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. The Aktau News Agency reported on Sunday that the officials discussed the possibility of constructing a new Torghundi-Herat-Kandahar-Spin Boldak railway line.
The report also stated that Turkmenistan has reached an agreement with the Taliban regarding the establishment of a logistics centre in Torghundi border in Herat city, with plans to begin construction in the near future.
Representatives of the Taliban at the meeting expressed their readiness to cooperate in the transit of goods from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Pakistan.
While no country has officially recognised the Taliban, some Central Asian countries maintain diplomatic and economic relations with them.