US Embassy Calls For Protection Of Afghan Journalists From Threats, Violence

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Taliban's police command in Kabul, confirmed that a gas station caught fire in Qala-e-Haider Khan, located in Kabul's Paghman district.

Zadran said that fire brigades have arrived at the scene of the incident and the officials are trying to contain the fire as soon as possible.

The Taliban official has not yet provided information about the possible casualties from the incident.

Residents of Kabul reported several powerful explosions in Kabul on Saturday evening, November 2.

Residents of Kabul said that the sound of the explosions was so loud that it was heard in large parts of the city, but the main cause of the explosion and the extent of its possible casualties have not yet been clarified.

In videos obtained by Afghanistan International, flames and smoke can be seen billowing from the fire from different parts of the city.

Momeni said that sustainable security is the prelude to any kind of progress and development.

On Saturday, November 2, Mehr News Agency reported that Momeni, during a visit to the border closure project in the Mirjaveh region, said, "With the implementation of the border closure plan, in addition to preventing the smuggling of drugs and goods, the return and movement of nationals will also be controlled, and this will have an important impact on the security of Sistan and Baluchestan."

The Iranian Interior Minister noted that according to the information, the first phase of the border blockade project, which is intended to be about 90 kilometres, began in late June and is expected to be completed and put into operation in the first half of the next year.

Momeni added that the closure of the border is not only physical, and a smart part of it includes radars. He added that a combination of the wall and smart systems could complement the closure plan and greatly increase its efficiency.

Earlier, Sirous Amanollahi, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces in the northeast of the country, had announced that the plan to close the border with Afghanistan would take three years. The project has made good progress in various sectors and the necessary resources have been provided to speed up its process, Amanollahi said.

It is said that the border wall will be built in the northeast of Iran on the border with Afghanistan with a length of about 300 kilometres, and its implementation will be the responsibility of four engineering groups and the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to official information, Iran has allocated three billion euros for the implementation of this plan.

The Islamic Republic authorities have announced that this measure is being taken to prevent the illegal entry of immigrants, the movement of terrorists and drug traffickers.

The front said that three members of the Taliban had been killed and four others were wounded in the attack. Residents of Kabul had reported an explosion in Sarai Shamali on Friday evening, November 1.

The AFF announced that it had targeted a vehicle ferrying the Taliban's house-to-house inspection team, consisting of police and intelligence officers.

According to the statement, after the rocket attack on the military section of Kabul airport, the Taliban has been harassing Kabul citizens in and around Khair Khana area by searching houses over the past week.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front wrote in its statement, "Targeted attacks by the Freedom Front fighters have challenged the Taliban's illusion of security." The front also released a video showing the moment of the explosion on a road in Kabul.

The Taliban has not yet commented on the incident.

Earlier, some sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has increased the group’s security checkpoints in Khair Khana and resumed the process of searching people's homes.

Mohammad Iqbal, Makhan and Hekmatullah have been arrested on charges of having links to opposition groups and possessing weapons from the former government.

According to these sources, Taliban members have arrested Mohammad Iqbal, a former local policeman in Dawlat Shah district of the province, in recent days. According to these sources, Mohammad Iqbal was the commander of the local police personnel of the district in the previous regime.

Hekmatullah, a former army soldier, is a resident of Alishang district, and Makhan a former policeman, and a resident of Shadmir village in Dawlat Shah district.

Relatives of some of the detainees said that Taliban officials do not give them access to a lawyer and do not provide information about the reasons behind their detention.

Human rights organisations have expressed concern over the Taliban's continued detention of former military personnel in Afghanistan.

Sources told Afghanistan International that 231 former soldiers and military and intelligence employees are imprisoned in Nangarhar prisons, but they have not yet been presented to the Taliban's courts.

Although Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has announced a general amnesty after taking control of Afghanistan, there are frequent reports of arrests, torture, and killings of former military personnel.

According to the latest UNAMA report released on Thursday, November 1, at least five former military personnel have been killed and at least 10 cases of torture and ill-treatment have been recorded against them.

The report shows that between July 2 and October 31, 2024, at least 24 cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions of former military personnel have been documented.

The Taliban has consistently denied arresting and taking revenge on former security forces.

The EU called on the Taliban to allow the UN special rapporteur on human rights unrestricted access to Afghanistan.

The EU representative said at the meeting of the committee that civil society, human rights defenders and journalists are working in very difficult conditions in Afghanistan.

He also said that the Taliban's actions contradict international human rights law and undermine any prospects for a peaceful and sustainable future in Afghanistan.

The statement of the EU representative mentioned gender repression and discrimination against minorities, severe restrictions on civil society and the media in Afghanistan.

The European Representative said that the repression of women in Afghanistan increases the risks of trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, domestic violence, forced marriage and early marriage in Afghanistan.