Arrests, House Searches Begin In Panjshir Following Attack On Taliban Stronghold

The Taliban said in a statement on Monday, that thousands of Afghans were killed, wounded and homeless following the "occupation" of Afghanistan by the United States.

The statement also said that the US invasion of Afghanistan caused severe damage to the country's economy, and that the US "kept its puppet slaves dominating the Afghans".

During their first rule in the 1990s, the Taliban implemented strict rules similar to those of their current administration in Afghanistan.

At the time, the group sheltered then-al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and after the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan at the head of a counterterrorism operation.

The invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies led to the overthrow of the Taliban regime at the time, the formation of a transitional government, and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Taliban fought against the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and foreign forces for 20 years, and thousands of civilians were killed in the group's attacks on cities.

Nearly 20 years later, in February 2020, the United States signed the Doha Agreement with the Taliban after several rounds of negotiations, which many observers and a number of US officials believe led to the weakening of the former Afghan government.

Following this agreement, foreign forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The Taliban returned to power on August 15, 2021, following the escape of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. According to international organisations, the human rights situation in the country has gradually deteriorated after the Taliban's victory. The Taliban has been accused of establishing gender apartheid in Afghanistan and violating ethnic rights extensively.

The Taliban government wrote in its statement that the Afghans under the leadership of this group defeated "America”.

The Taliban had previously asked Islamabad to hold talks with the protesters.

In a statement on Monday, October 7, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry rejected recent statements by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, calling them "baseless".

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Sunday called on the Pakistani government to negotiate and reach an understanding with the pro-Imran Khan protesters about their "legitimate demands". The Taliban also called on the Pakistani government to deal with the protesters' grievances in a "reasonable" and "realistic" manner.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said that the Taliban should focus on resolving their internal problems instead of interfering in Pakistan's internal affairs. "The Taliban should prioritise inclusive [government formation] and respond to the needs and aspirations of their people, including the right of women and girls to education," the ministry statement said.

The ministry stressed that the Taliban has restricted the rights of Afghan women and girls through a misinterpretation of religion.

In the statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry once again accused the Taliban of supporting and harbouring terrorist groups and called on the group to fulfil its obligations to the international community.

The Taliban, which has cracked down on dozens of civil movements in Afghanistan over the past three years, on Sunday advised Islamabad not to ignore demonstrations by Imran Khan's supporters because "refusing to negotiate complicates matters".

The Taliban are encouraging the Pakistani government to reach an understanding and negotiate with the protesters, while it itself has violently suppressed dozens of peaceful civil movements in various cities of Afghanistan over the past three years. In the past three years, various cities in Afghanistan have witnessed demonstrations whose voices were not heard by the Taliban.

Most of these demonstrations have been held in response to the ban on women's right to education and work, widespread human rights violations, repression and deprivation of power by ethnic groups, non-payment of pensioners' salaries, and widespread poverty. Over the past three years, the group has imprisoned hundreds of peaceful protesters, civil society activists, journalists, human rights activists, and political opposition figures.

Reports by human rights organisations show that the Taliban has used violence against their opponents in prisons. In the past three years, there have been several reports that show that some opponents of the Taliban have died under torture in the group's prisons.

The Iranian official had travelled to Kabul at the invitation of Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban's Minister of Industry and Commerce.

Mohammad Karami has said that trade between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban will be significantly strengthened in the near future.

The governor of Sistan and Baluchestan told IRNA news agency on Sunday, October 6, about his visit to Kabul, "During this visit, agreements were reached for joint investments as well as the reopening of the second border in the Gamshad region of Sistan."

The Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce also announced on Sunday that Nooruddin Azizi met with Mohammad Karami, the governor of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, and Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Kabul, to discuss "the implementation of the promises of Abdul Ghani Baradar's visit to Tehran”.

The ministry's statement said that the two sides discussed the Chabahar port and that a technical committee consisting of officials from both sides has been appointed to further discuss and implement the agreements.

In addition, the Taliban's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation also announced that Hamidullah Akhundzada, the acting minister of this ministry, in a meeting with Mohammad Karami, the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran, discussed "the development of transportation, transit relations and increasing the transfer of goods through Chabahar port”.

Abdul Qayyum Rouhani added that a special committee will be appointed to implement the Taliban's orders and laws throughout the country.

Some men's hair salons in Khost and Paktia provinces told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has imposed a fine of 10,000 afghanis for cutting hair in a modern style.

The group warned the owners of such salons that if they violated the law, their shops would be closed for a month.

The emphasis of Taliban officials on the implementation of Islamic laws in the light of the Sharia law desired by this group is not new.

Previously, the Taliban had forced employees of all government institutions to perform prayers, sport beards, and wear the clothing desired by the group.

Abbas Stanikzai claimed that terrorist groups are imported and use the territory of some neighbouring countries against the Taliban.

Stanikzai added that a number of terrorists have been arrested whose centres were located outside Afghanistan.

Earlier, the Taliban published the confessions of a number of detained ISIS members who claimed to have been trained in Pakistan's Balochistan province and sent to Afghanistan. In a statement, the Taliban spokesman claimed that the ISIS group's centres are located outside Afghanistan and in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Previously, the former Afghan government accused Pakistan of using the Afghan Taliban against it. Now, the Taliban has pointed the finger at Pakistan and sees ISIS as a tool of Pakistan to put pressure on the group's government.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the third international Imam Abu Hanifa exhibition in Kabul on Sunday (October 6), Stanikzai said, "We will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against the security of other countries. We have mutual interaction and we do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. We stand firmly and courageously against those who pose a security threat."

"Just as we defeated the US and NATO, we will also fight against imported terrorists who seek proxy war in Afghanistan," he added.

In another part of his speech, Stanikzai called the treatment of Afghan refugees by Iran and Pakistan unacceptable and said that these two countries should treat the refugees "with good behaviour" until the ground for their voluntary return is provided.