Islamic Republic of Iran Arrests General Ikramuddin Sari, Releases Him After Interrogation

The Qatari Foreign Ministry did not mention when the meeting would be organised.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (October 30) that its representative met with the UN official in New York.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said that during the meeting, they stressed on the need to use "positive developments" of the third Doha meeting during the fourth round of the meeting.

The third two-day Doha summit was held in the Qatari capital in July this year under the leadership of UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo.

Taliban representatives had participated in the third Doha meeting for the first time. Women, civil society, and political opponents of the Taliban were not present at the meeting. The absence of women and civil society members has been widely criticised by international organisations, human rights groups, Afghan women activists, and former officials.

Rosemary DiCarlo, who chaired the third Doha meeting, said that she was fully aware of the criticism of the third Doha meeting.

At the end of the third meeting in Doha, the UN Under Secretary-General emphasised that this process and interaction with the Taliban does not mean the normalisation of relations or the recognition of the Taliban. Rosemary DiCarlo said that it is the policy of the United Nations that people should be at the centre of decision-making and that women are part of the people.

According to a decree from the Taliban’s leader, both government employees and citizens are prohibited from carrying or storing weapons without an official permit.

The ministry clarified that such permits are now exclusively issued by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation within the Ministry of Interior, rendering permits from any other institution invalid.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, the group has actively pursued the disarmament of the public, often employing coercive measures to collect weapons from civilians. Reports indicate that, in some instances, individuals have been compelled to surrender arms under the threat of force.

The ministry stated that these new regulations are intended to strengthen oversight of weaponry and reduce public disturbances.

Following the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan, a significant amount of U.S. military equipment remained in the country, much of which has reportedly been acquired by Taliban forces.

A source said that the Taliban members were using force to collect taxes from the people of the district.

According to these sources, the Taliban members are constantly visiting shops, companies, commercial markets, and hotels and pressuring people to pay taxes.

The Taliban went to some car shops on Tuesday and beat people up. According to a video provided to Afghanistan International, a person lost consciousness after being beaten up by the Taliban and people gathered around him.

An informed source said that car sellers refused to pay taxes due to the high tax rates and the unfavourable economic and market situation, which was met with violence by the Taliban.

A number of people said that the Taliban does not provide services despite collecting a lot of taxes. Trade unions and businessmen have called the Taliban's taxes "back-breaking".

The Taliban said that they rely on internal revenues to run their government. The group hopes to fund its government by collecting taxes and mining.

According to the report, the clash began after Iranian border guards opened fire on Baloch fuel truckers on the border, killing one person.

At the same time, Haalvsh, which covers the news of Sistan and Baluchistan, has published pictures and videos in which the sound of gunfire can be heard in succession.

The clash between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic's border guards began after "the forces of the Border Guard Regiment of Burjak 4 of the Sasoli village outpost in Helmand city" opened fire on a number of Baloch fuel truckers, the news agency said.

According to the report, 26-year-old Naeem Rigi, a resident of the village of Khatam Ghaljaei Sasoli, was killed.

Official sources of the Taliban and the Islamic Republic have not yet commented on the clashes.

In over three years, since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the group's border guards have clashed with the Islamic Republic's border guards several times.

UNICEF announced on Tuesday (October 29) that UNICEF's representative in Afghanistan, Tajudeen Oyewale, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Roza Otunbayeva, met members of a number of vulnerable communities in Kabul.

UNICEF said that the meeting focused on finding solutions to meet basic human needs in the water sector in Kabul.

Oyewale wrote on his account on the social media network X that the impact of the water crisis in Kabul city is visible. "The water crisis is a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent support," he stressed.

The UNICEF representative called on international partners to take action to support children and families affected by the water crisis in Afghanistan.

Taliban officials have repeatedly warned about the water crisis in Kabul over the past three years. The group said that it was trying to transfer water from the Panjshir River to Kabul to solve the water crisis in Kabul.

The Taliban's mayor in Kabul said in 2021 that Kabul has only 29 million cubic metres of water, while the capital's residents need 100 million cubic metres of water.

The United Nations has previously announced that about 80 percent of the population of Afghanistan does not have access to adequate drinking water.

According to a report by the United Nations Development Programme published in late 2023, Afghanistan ranks sixth among countries vulnerable to climate change.

The European Union's mission to Afghanistan also expressed concern over the growing water crisis in the country in August this year, saying that drought, pollution and excessive use of water resources threaten people's lives.