Taliban Bans Photography & Filming at Sheikh Zayed University in Khost

According to organisers, the majority of attendees highlighted the urgent need to initiate a transparent process of intra-Afghan dialogue.

The meeting took place behind closed doors in Istanbul. Sources informed Afghanistan International that it was hosted by Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Mustafa Mastoor, and Idris Zaman.

Certain sources revealed that the organisers extended invitations to various groups, including the Taliban; however, the Taliban, along with other political figures and groups, opted not to attend.

One of the organisers informed Afghanistan International that two representatives from the assembly had travelled to Kabul, seeking collaboration from the Taliban, former President Hamid Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah. According to the source, none of these parties committed to cooperate or sent delegates to the meeting.

Following reports indicating that Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah may have been involved in organising the event, Karim Khurram and Abdolali Mohammadi, close associates of Hamid Karzai, clarified that while the former president supports political dialogue and engagement among Afghans, he did not participate in organising the meeting, nor did he send any representatives.

A source disclosed that invitations were also extended to members of the National Resistance Front and the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, both of whom declined to attend.

On Saturday, the National Dialogue Assembly released its inaugural statement, asserting that it “seeks to bring together all stakeholders involved in Afghanistan’s issues and, through a national dialogue process, provide effective and lasting solutions for peace and lasting stability in the country.”

The statement outlined the primary aim of the National Dialogue Process as the creation of a constructive space for dialogue among Afghan citizens, both within Afghanistan and abroad, aiming to bolster national trust and address political, social, economic, and cultural challenges.

The National Dialogue Process noted that its activities commenced in 2022, spearheaded by the initiative and collective ownership of political, social, and economic figures within Afghanistan. Operating with a council structure and a rotating presidency, the current head of the group is reportedly Babar Farahmand, former deputy of the High Peace Council in the previous government.

Active members of the group include Hekmat Khalil Karzai, a close associate of Karzai; Mustafa Mastoor, affiliated with Abdullah Abdullah; and Idris Zaman, former deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who maintains close ties with the Taliban.

The embassy called for the security and protection of journalists from the violence.

November 2 marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Earlier, the Afghanistan Journalists Centre announced that the Taliban had arrested at least 220 journalists since August 2021. The centre also added that it recorded 447 incidents of violations of the rights of journalists and media workers during this period.

The US embassy wrote on its social media network X page on Saturday that it stands in solidarity with Afghan journalists who continue to face threats, violence and intimidation in their search for the truth.

The embassy called a free press the cornerstone of a just society, adding, "We must protect those who risk their lives to expose the truth."

The Taliban has extensively violated the rights of the media and journalists since they came to power. Threats, arbitrary arrests, torture of Afghan journalists, and in some cases their mysterious murders are among the cases that have increased significantly in the three years of the Taliban's rule.

In addition, the Taliban recently banned the publication of images of "living beings" within the framework of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and stopped broadcasting public and private television programmes in more than 10 provinces.

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.