Taliban Attempted to Kill My Brother, Alleges Former Afghan Intelligence Officer

In a statement, the Taliban declared that defending Palestine and Hamas is both an Islamic and human responsibility.

On Wednesday, the Taliban released a statement praising Haniyeh as a "wise and prudent Palestinian Muslim who made significant sacrifices in his successful struggle and jihad, fulfilling his commitment to this cause”.

The statement further noted, "Martyrdom is the highest victory for a Muslim and a Mujahid." The Taliban emphasised that "Haniyeh succeeded in teaching his followers practical lessons in resistance, sacrifice, patience, endurance, struggle, and devotion”.

The Taliban extended their condolences to the people of Palestine, reiterating their commitment to defending Palestine and Hamas as an Islamic and humanitarian obligation.

The group called on Muslim and Arab countries to exert all efforts to stop Israeli attacks, warning that the continuation of "Israeli crimes" would result in increased instability in the region, for which Israel and its supporters would be held accountable.

The Taliban have maintained close relations with Hamas, with Ismail Haniyeh serving as a key liaison between the two groups. Haniyeh had held multiple meetings with senior Taliban officials, including Mullah Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister; Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister, and Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban. Most recently, Haniyeh met with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister, on Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran.

Ismail Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday morning in an attack in Tehran.

The Palestinian group Hamas and Haniyeh's brother, Musa Abu Marzouk, accused Israel of orchestrating the "assassination”.

Abu Marzouk condemned the act as "cowardly" and vowed that it "will not go unanswered”.

In a statement, Hamas claimed that their political leader was killed in an "Israeli airstrike”.

According to the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), citing the IRGC's public relations office, Haniyeh's residence was "hit" early Wednesday morning.

The IRGC's public relations office confirmed the incident in a statement but withheld details about the attack. They indicated that the cause and circumstances of the attack, along with Haniyeh's death, are under investigation, and results will be announced later.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Just hours before the attack, Hamas reported that Haniyeh had met with Pezeshkian to discuss the latest political and military developments in the Gaza conflict, expressing gratitude for Iran's support for the Palestinian people.

As of now, Israeli political, military, and security officials have not commented on Haniyeh's death. However, Amichai Eliyahu, Israel's Minister of Heritage, remarked that Haniyeh's death "makes the world a slightly better place”.

Atmar, confirming reports of the spread of terrorism in Afghanistan, warned that without ensuring peace and stability in the country, neither regional nor global peace will be achievable.

Atmar's remarks refer to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the Pakistani government.

On Monday, July 29, at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, he remarked that the current approach to terrorism is selective, with distinctions made between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists. He suggested that this selective strategy undermines efforts to effectively combat terrorism.

The Pakistani government labels Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist group and is fighting against it.

TTP maintains close ties with the Afghan Taliban, and TTP leaders have pledged allegiance to Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader. Despite this, Pakistan has supported the Afghan Taliban and played a prominent role in their rise to power in Afghanistan.

The Taliban in Afghanistan also claims to have eradicated ISIS. However, according to international reports, groups such as Al-Qaeda, TTP, and Central Asian terrorists have taken refuge and grown under Taliban control in Afghanistan.

Despite the Taliban's harsh stance against ISIS, the UN Security Council's Sanctions Monitoring Committee recently stated that the terrorist group continues to expand its influence in Afghanistan and has managed to infiltrate the Taliban's security system.

The former Foreign Minister also discussed the third Doha meeting on Afghanistan, describing it as "two steps forward and two steps back”.

Atmar said that the Taliban's policies regarding women do not reflect Afghan cultural norms and do not represent Islam. He criticised the third Doha meeting for failing to include women, political parties, and civil society, calling it a significant failure.

He added that the imposition of authoritarian and stringent Taliban policies and the deprivation of Afghan women’s rights have led to poverty and migration, which poses a threat to the region and the world. Atmar called for international support for intra-Afghan negotiations, stating that any negotiation and dialogue would fail in the absence of all internal parties, and peace and stability in Afghanistan would not be achieved.

He emphasised that peace and stability are impossible without securing women’s rights, human rights, and a legitimate government in Afghanistan, and no Afghan would agree to reconcile with the Taliban unless these three conditions are met first. He also noted that no country is willing to accept the risk of recognising the Taliban without meeting these conditions.

In part of his speech, Atmar addressed the factors behind the collapse of the system and the failure of democracy in Afghanistan, attributing it to the actions of previous leaders, Taliban leaders, unilateral US decisions, and Pakistani military policies. He added that after the collapse of the system, all four groups failed.

Atmar was a prominent figure in the previous Afghan government, with a background of working in the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Rural Development, and the National Security Council of Afghanistan.

The department has highlighted that terrorist groups are active in the country, posing risks of kidnapping and hostage-taking for US citizens.

In a statement issued on Monday, it was noted that humanitarian and aid workers in Afghanistan are being harassed and detained by the Taliban. The department also reported that the Taliban does not allow welfare check on the US citizens detained by the group.

The statement expressed concern about the lack of medical care for US prisoners and the physical abuse occurring in Taliban detention facilities.

The Department of State emphasised that US citizens should avoid travelling to Afghanistan for any reason, and those currently in the country should leave immediately, if possible.

It also noted that the department is unable to provide consular services to its citizens in Afghanistan.

Over the past three years, the US has consistently warned its citizens to refrain from travelling to Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban took control in August 2021, the US embassy in Kabul has suspended its operations.

The Department of State has confirmed that three US citizens are currently detained by the Taliban.

Patel told reporters, " I’m fairly certain the Taliban is a designated terrorist organisation."

The Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department made these remarks on Monday evening, July 29, during a press briefing in Washington in response to a reporter's question.

The reporter referred to the bill proposed by Nancy Mace, a US congresswoman, and asked Patel whether the US agrees with designating the Taliban as a terrorist organisation similar to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

TTP is listed in the Department of State's "Foreign Terrorist Organisations" list, but the Afghan Taliban has not yet been included in this list.

Recently, Nancy Mace introduced a bill to the US Congress that would designate the Taliban as a "Foreign Terrorist Organisation."

According to Mace's statement, a key point of this bill is that no US government entity can recognise the Taliban government or allocate funds for this purpose.

Although the US does not recognise the Taliban government, US policy since the withdrawal from Afghanistan has focused on engagement with the Taliban.