SCO, Commonwealth of Independent States to Hold Counter-Terrorism Conference in Uzbekistan

According to sources, the individual, identified as Hussain Rizwani, was a former commando who had taken up farming after the fall of the previous government.

The sources said Rizwani was killed by Taliban forces on Monday evening, September 4, while they were searching for members of the National Resistance Front (NRF) in the area.

Family members of the former soldier stated that after the Taliban's return to power, he led a peaceful life, working as a farmer in his village and had no affiliations with any anti-Taliban groups.

Currently, Rizwani's body remains in a hospital in Takhar, and the Taliban is yet to return it to his family.

The incident occurred after members of the NRF attacked Taliban intelligence forces near the Gawmali street on the Takhar-Badakhshan highway, resulting in the deaths of two Taliban fighters and several others being wounded. One of those killed was reportedly Qari Jalal Ayubi, according to sources.

Following the attack, the Taliban conducted a search operation to locate the attackers, during which Rizwani was shot dead in Ganj Ali village. The sources insist that the former commando had no involvement in the NRF’s attack.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the incident.

General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesperson, told Afghanistan International that Washington will take appropriate measures to counter this threat.

On Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide attack targeting employees of the Directorate of Monitoring and Enforcement of Taliban Decrees (formerly the Attorney General's Office) in Kabul. ISIS claimed that more than 45 people were killed and injured in the attack.

According to the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, at least six people, including one woman, were killed, and 13 others were wounded in the incident.

ISIS stated that its suicide bomber waited for employees to exit through the main gate before detonating his explosive vest.

In a press conference in Washington, the Pentagon spokesperson emphasised that ISIS remains a threat, “whether it’s ISIS-K or its other branches”. He further added that the United States, in collaboration with its allies and partners, will take the necessary actions to address this threat.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defence had stated that the US would strike ISIS-K if it perceives an "imminent threat" from the group.

General Ryder also noted that if pressure on ISIS is reduced, they could regain strength. He also commented on the situation in Syria and Iraq, saying that although ISIS is not as powerful as it was ten years ago, the threat posed by the group must be taken seriously.

According to the Taliban, the Azerbaijani official expressed the country’s readiness to activate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor to boost trade relations with Afghanistan and the wider region.

In a statement from the Economic Affairs Office of the Taliban’s leadership, the meeting between Baradar and the Azerbaijani Prime Minister took place on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of the "Termez International Trade Centre" in Uzbekistan.

The reactivation of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor was a key topic during the discussions between the Azerbaijani official and the Taliban representatives.

The Lapis Lazuli Corridor is a land route connecting Afghanistan to Turkmenistan through the Torghundi and Aqina ports, and onwards to the Turkmenbashi port in Turkmenistan. The Lapis Lazuli agreement was signed in 2018 by five countries, linking Afghanistan through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to Turkey.

The statement also mentioned Azerbaijan's interest in increasing exports and imports with Afghanistan, as well as investing in the establishment of industrial factories in the country. Azerbaijan also expressed interest in Afghanistan's mining sector.

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.