Taliban Claims Azerbaijan Committed to Revitalising Lapis Lazuli Corridor

The group stated that the attack resulted in over 45 people being killed and injured.

According to a statement from the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, the attack killed at least six people, including one woman, and injured 13 others. Some Taliban sources reported that 12 people were killed in the explosion.

ISIS claimed that its suicide bomber waited for the employees to exit through the main gate before detonating his explosive vest. The group asserted that the attack killed more than 45 Taliban personnel.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon as the employees were leaving their offices. A Taliban police spokesperson stated that all those killed were civilians.

Reports indicate that some of the victims were former civilian employees of the previous Afghan government who were working under the Taliban administration.

ISIS-Khorasan, the Afghanistan branch of ISIS, has previously claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques, and Shia/Hazara areas in Kabul and other regions of Afghanistan. Despite repeated claims by Taliban officials that ISIS has been eradicated and has no physical presence in Afghanistan, Monday's attack demonstrated that ISIS-Khorasan remains active and possesses significant operational capabilities.

International reports have identified ISIS-Khorasan as a highly active group with the potential to carry out operations beyond Afghanistan's borders.

According to the sources, the Taliban detained the two brothers on Tuesday morning, September 4, from their workplace and home.

A source close to the matter told Afghanistan International that Taliban intelligence officers arrested Hamid Farhadi from his home in Kabul's 15th district. The source added that the Taliban also arrested Walid Farhadi, Hamid's brother, from his workplace in the Khair Khana area of Kabul.

Hamid Farhadi was an employee of the Executive Office of the former Afghan government.

The Taliban have yet to comment on the arrest of this former government employee. Additionally, Hamid Farhadi's family has not responded to Afghanistan International's requests for comment on the matter.

Sources indicate that the Farhadi brothers are not affiliated with any political or military groups.

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the group initially declared a general amnesty.

However, over the past three years, they have arrested hundreds of former military personnel and government employees.

On August 3, local sources from Laghman reported that the Taliban arrested two former security forces members who had recently been deported from Iran. According to the sources, these former soldiers, named Gul Nabi and Pacha Gul, are residents of Dawlat Shah district in Laghman.

The majority of these attacks targeted Chinese citizens.

The report highlights an incident in the Sindh province where Chinese and Japanese nationals were targeted, resulting in the deaths of 10 people, including five foreigners and five Pakistanis.

The report also details two attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, once again targeting Chinese nationals. These attacks claimed the lives of 17 Chinese citizens, two Pakistani security personnel, and 19 locals.

Additionally, the report mentions four attacks in the Balochistan province, which also targeted Chinese nationals, leaving three people injured.

Pakistan has reported a significant increase in violence since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan.

Various insurgent groups in Pakistan have been involved in attacks against security forces and foreign nationals, particularly Chinese citizens and interests. The most significant threat to Pakistan comes from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership is believed to be based in Afghanistan, according to Pakistani officials.

The TTP, along with several Islamist groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, occasionally targets foreign nationals. Similar to the Afghan Taliban, the TTP seeks to establish and enforce Islamic Sharia law according to its interpretation of Islam. Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group fighting for the independence of Balochistan from Pakistan, has also intensified its attacks in recent times.

The incident occurred on Monday, following the recent implementation of the Taliban's new law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice.

The women visited the market to purchase essential items. According to sources, they were released from the custody after locals intervened.

Under the new Taliban law, women are prohibited from leaving their homes without a male guardian and must cover themselves fully when they do go out. Additionally, women's voices have been banned in public spaces.

Human rights organisations have warned that the enforcement of this law will severely restrict and confine the lives of Afghan women.
Previously, the Taliban dismissed concerns that this new law would lead to an increase in violence against women.

Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday that the curriculum will be reviewed from a religious perspective.

The Taliban have not released specific details regarding the changes they intend to implement in the natural sciences textbooks.

Abdul Rauf Farahi, the head of curriculum development at the Ministry of Higher Education, stated, "New global experiences and advancements will be incorporated into the curriculum in the light of the teachings of Islam."

The review process will involve professors from the Faculty of Education, members of the National Curriculum Commission, and professional representatives from relevant departments, who will work on the curriculum over five days.

The review of natural sciences comes after the Taliban's Minister of Higher Education previously announced that the curriculum of over 70 faculties had been reviewed.

Following this, reports surfaced indicating a reduction in the scientific content of university curricula and an increase in religious content.

Recently, credible sources within the Ministry of Higher Education told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has reduced the teaching hours of core subjects in faculties and tripled the hours allocated to Islamic Culture courses.