Afghan Students in Shiraz Protest Against Ban on Enrollment in Iranian Schools

Mahajer Farahi, deputy minister for publications at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said, "According to the decree of the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate, books that are written about the Emirate or books that are written by government departments must come to this committee and pass the review and then be published."

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Sunday, that a committee consisting of representatives of Kabul University, the Academy of Sciences, the Ministries of Information and Culture, Hajj and Religious Affairs, Promotion of Virtue, Higher Education, and several other institutions has been formed to review books written about the group's rule.

The ministry official added that books written about the Taliban system, governance and the "Islamic Emirate" "should naturally be what presents the main and true picture of the taliban order”.

He explained the reason for the establishment of this committee and the pre-publication review of books written about the Taliban in a way to present a unified narrative of the Taliban's governance.

In a video published by Bakhtar News Agency, he said, "It has been considered necessary that if anyone or officials write a book on this subject, it should be investigated and published through this committee so that the views of one person are not considered the views of the entire system."

The Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture has repeatedly announced that it is reviewing the content of other books. In a number of cases, the group has even collected a number of books from the market, but it is unclear whether the committee will examine other books as well.

The letter states that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy prime minister, is interested in attending the BRICS summit in Kazan.

The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24 in the Russian city of Kazan.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the letter was sent by the Taliban's Minister of Industry and Trade Nooruddin Azizi to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Vladimir Putin.

Rustam Khabibulin, the head of the Russian Trade Centre in Afghanistan, has confirmed that the Taliban have submitted a written request to participate in the BRICS summit.

In Nooruddin Azizi's letter to Yuri Ushakov, it is stated, "We are interested in the participation of a high-level delegation from our government, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister of the Taliban, in the BRICS meeting.

Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, told RIA Novosti news agency that it is important for the group to participate in the upcoming BRICS meeting in Kazan and express its views.

So far, no country has recognized the Taliban. Despite its diplomatic relations with the Taliban, Russia has not yet responded to the Taliban's request.

The main members of the BRICS group are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group expanded with the membership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia at the beginning of this year.
Russia has announced that the upcoming meeting will focus on developing cooperation in three key areas: political and security, economic and financial, and cultural.

Pakistan's policy in Afghanistan has failed, he said.

In an interview with Aaj News on Sunday, Mushahid Hussain Sayed clarified, "We could not understand Afghanistan."

Referring to the country's claim that the TTP is using Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan, the former Pakistani senator said that the Afghan Taliban have rejected this claim and said that "evidence" should be provided.

He stressed that Pakistan does not have a clear strategy towards the TTP.

The group stated that it targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban members in Kabul's 11th district.

Taliban officials have not yet commented on the incident.

Meanwhile, a local resident told Afghanistan International on Saturday that an explosion was heard in the Sarai Shamali area.

This announcement came just hours after the destruction of a statue of Abdul Ali Mazari, the founder of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, in western Kabul.

While the municipality’s statement did not specifically mention Abdul Ali Mazari, it noted that, in accordance with established rules and regulations, a roundabout in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul was removed the previous night.

The municipality further stated that several other roundabouts in Kabul, including the Baraki, Traffic, and Karte Mamoreen roundabouts, have been removed and redesigned as intersections. The statement added that due to congestion and the high volume of vehicles in the Dasht-e-Barchi area, the roundabout there was also removed and will be rebuilt as an intersection.

The destruction of the Abdul Ali Mazari roundabout in western Kabul by the Taliban has sparked widespread reactions from political and cultural figures on social media. Some social media users have accused the Taliban of deliberately destroying symbols representing ethnic groups.

Dawood Naji, head of the political committee of the Freedom Front, stated that the Taliban are intent on dismantling the fabric of national unity and peaceful coexistence. He added that this act is reminiscent of "a criminal returning to the scene of the crime."

Abdul Ali Mazari, a prominent Mujahideen leader and the founder of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, was captured and killed by the Taliban in 1995. The previous Afghan government had given him the title "Martyr of National Unity."