Senior Taliban Official Supports One China Policy & Beijing's Major Projects

Shojai reported that the border guards of the country have been equipped with electronic and optical equipment for better monitoring of the area.

Khorasan Razavi province shares approximately 302 kilometres of border with Afghanistan to the east.

Shojai also reported that since the beginning of this year, 160,000 litres of smuggled fuel have been discovered at the borders of this province.

The border guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran have repeatedly reported the discovery of drugs at the Afghanistan border over the past three years.

Eskandar Momeni, Secretary General of Drug Control Headquarters, requested in May 2023 from Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, to consider drug trafficking as a serious threat.

Momeni said that there has been no decrease in the production, growth, and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan.

Residents claim that this cleric's murder is part of a series of "serial murders" in Khas Uruzgan district of Uruzgan province.

On July 20, local sources informed Afghanistan International that unknown individuals had stabbed Rustam Rahimi, a mosque mullah, to death in Khas Uruzgan district. Rahimi was killed inside the mosque.

Sources said that in recent days, the Taliban have continuously summoned residents of the Shashpar area and even detained some for questioning. According to the sources, some detainees were released after interrogation, but about 43 individuals, arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday, remain in custody.

Sources added that on Thursday, July 25, the Taliban also detained more residents from the area for interrogation.

Several sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that Rahimi's wife was the first person to enter the mosque after the attack and witnessed the assailants.

According to sources, Rahimi's wife reported that the attackers were from "Pashtun" ethnicity, but the Taliban members did not accept her testimony, insisting that since she is a woman, another woman's testimony is needed to corroborate her statement.

Sources stated that Taliban officials are trying to blame the murder of the Shia cleric on the Hazaras living in the area. They added that the group is attempting to pressure Rahimi's family into testifying against the Hazaras.

Last year, United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed ongoing violence and killings against Hazaras in Khas Uruzgan district.

Earlier, residents of the Shashpar area reported that Rahimi's murder was the 21st murder in the area over the past three years. Residents accuse the Taliban of being involved in the systematic killing of Hazaras.

Last year, local sources from Uruzgan province told Afghanistan International that in the past two years, 14 residents of the Joy Now village (Shashpar) in Khas Uruzgan district were "systematically and deliberately" killed.

Haqqani noted that the Taliban's Ministry of Interior is actively working to professionally train these forces.

According to a note by Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Interior on X, Haqqani described the police forces as a "major factor" in ensuring security during a meeting in Kabul.

Over nearly three years, the Taliban government has dismissed many military personnel and employees from the previous government from state institutions.
On Tuesday, during a speech at the "National Labour Conference," Haqqani expressed concern about the dismissal of previous government employees by the Taliban.

The Taliban's Minister of Interior stated, "We should not dismiss others from work and replace them with ourselves."

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Bozorgzadeh stated, "Iran's demand is for the Kamal Khan Dam to be re-engineered."

The Iranian official said that the overflow from the side dam on the Afghan side annually wastes billions of cubic meters of water during floods and keeps it out of reach of the Afghan people as well.

He noted that this process leads to the drying up of the region, exacerbating dust storms and environmental disasters.

According to IRNA, Bozorgzadeh suggested to the Taliban that they should "seize the opportunity and define joint projects to reduce the suffering of the people in the region who are under the pressure of a weak economy and dust storms”.

Previously, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special representative in Afghanistan, had confirmed in June this year that over 300 million cubic meters of Iran's water rights had been provided by Afghanistan.

However, Kazemi Qomi mentioned that due to the unmodified crest of the Kamal Khan Dam, some of the water diverted to the salt flats, resulting in part of Iran's water rights not being fulfilled.

The Taliban claimed that these individuals were accused of having extramarital sexual relations and theft.

The Taliban court specified that on Wednesday, two of the accused received 35 lashes each in public, while another received 30 lashes.

According to the statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, one of the accused was sentenced by the local court to six months in prison, while the other two were sentenced to four and five years in prison, respectively.

Previously, local sources from Malistan district of Ghazni informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban had flogged a man and a woman for allegedly having extramarital sexual relations.

The sources reported that the Taliban forced local residents at gunpoint to watch the punishment being carried out.

After taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban annulled all existing national laws and have been prosecuting accused individuals based on what they refer to as "Islamic Sharia”.

International human rights organisations have urged the Taliban to stop these primitive and cruel punishments. However, the Taliban has stated that they will continue to enforce punishments in accordance with "Islamic Sharia”.