Taliban Arrests Commanders & Fighters On Charges Of 'Supporting Pakistani Militants'

The Taliban’s deputy prime minister for political affairs has also called for the group's "meaningful presence” in regional meetings even though the Taliban had not been invited to the regional SCO meeting.

After the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan was excluded from membership in all regional and global organisations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which plays a key role in regional economic and security relations.

The secretary of Russia's National Security Council, headed a high-level Russian delegation and travelled to Kabul on Monday. He met with Taliban officials, including Abdul Kabir, the group's deputy prime minister for political affairs.

According to Abdul Kabir's office, Sergei Shoigu said during the meeting, "The Russian Federation wants Afghanistan to regain its seat as an observer member in the SCO."

In this meeting, the taliban deputy prime minister stated, "The Islamic Emirate, as a responsible system, wants a meaningful presence in regional formats and is ready to cooperate closely with the countries of the region."

He said that the Taliban considers Afghanistan's security, stability and economic growth to be linked to the security and prosperity of the region. "The Taliban will not allow Afghan soil to be used against any country," he added.

Russia is concerned about the threat posed by terrorist groups in Afghanistan to the security of Central Asian countries. Moscow believes that these groups, including ISIS, are tools of Western countries to create insecurity in Russia's backyard.

Although the visit of the secretary of the Russian Security Council and the former defense minister of this country is related to these concerns of Moscow, the Taliban tried in several statements to portray Shoigu's visit as normal and as part of Russia's efforts to improve relations with the group.

Afghanistan has been participating as a guest at SCO summits since 2004 and became an observer member of the SCO in 2012.

The SCO decision to grant an observer seat to Afghanistan was mainly due to the country's border with Central Asia and concerns about the threat of terrorism and the rise of ISIS.

None of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have officially recognised the Taliban, and the Taliban's invitation to the meetings of the member states has been limited.

Iran, which holds the presidency of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), announced on Tuesday that the Taliban's foreign minister has not been invited to the organisation's upcoming meeting in Mashhad.

The Iranian embassy stated that the two sides discussed establishing peace and preventing divisive foreign interventions in Afghanistan.

On Monday, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul wrote in a note on the X social media platform that Qomi and Xiaoyong also emphasised on the need to combat terrorism and the importance of strengthening the regional contact group initiative.

Qomi, who had served as Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan since October 2021, was dismissed from this role on Sunday, November 24.

The Iranian foreign ministry recently appointed Alireza Bikdeli as the ministry's new envoy for Afghanistan.

Iran and China maintain close relations with the Taliban government and have handed over Afghanistan's diplomatic missions in their countries to the Taliban.

Shoigu is the highest-ranking official from Moscow to visit Kabul since the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

Baradar’s office announced that the discussions during the meeting focused on political relations, economic cooperation, trade, transit, and investment.

According to Mullah Baradar’s office, the Russian official visited Kabul "under the directive" of Vladimir Putin and was accompanied by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Special Representative for Afghanistan.

Baradar emphasised during the meeting that Afghanistan’s foreign policy is centered on economic priorities. He highlighted that the country’s security and stability make it a hub for regional economic cooperation.

The Taliban reported that Shoigu promised to remove the Taliban from Moscow’s blacklist. Additionally, both parties agreed to establish a joint commission with various committees to enhance cooperation in trade, transit, and investment.

Relations between Russia and the Taliban have garnered attention since the group’s return to power. While Moscow has not formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, it has maintained relations with the group for strategic and security reasons. Russia is also one of the few countries that has kept its embassy in Kabul operational and continues diplomatic engagements.

They also demanded that individuals involved in signing the agreement be brought to justice.

A group of exiled Afghan journalists in North America and Europe, in a letter addressed to Trump on Sunday, described the Doha Agreement as a facilitator of the Taliban’s domination of Afghanistan.

They pointed to the suppression of media and journalists, stating that since the Taliban took power, over 1,000 cases of violence against journalists have been documented in Afghanistan.

According to them, more than 4,000 Afghan journalists and media workers have left the country, while female journalists and media workers in Afghanistan face "dangerous and tense conditions" in their workplaces.

In their letter to Trump, they emphasised on the need to annul the Doha Agreement, stating that its cancellation could pave the way for compelling the Taliban to establish an inclusive and democratic government.

The Afghan journalists in exile, without naming any specific individual, urged Trump to ensure those involved in the agreement are prosecuted in international courts under global law.

The Doha Agreement was signed in 2020 between the Trump administration and the Taliban, aimed at facilitating the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad signed the agreement on behalf of the United States. Prior to the signing, Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, met with Abdul Ghani Baradar and shook hands with him.

Reports indicate that Trump had a phone conversation with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban delegation in Doha, regarding the agreement and even considered inviting him to Camp David.

Under the Doha Agreement, the Taliban pledged not to attack US forces until their withdrawal in 2021 and to negotiate with Afghan groups for the formation of a new government.

They said that the international community and UNAMA have not taken serious and effective action against the Taliban's "crimes against humanity" so far.

The Purple Saturdays Movement said in a statement on Monday, November 25, that the international community has used "behind-the-scenes diplomacy, under the guise of interaction and relations with the de facto government, to demorally reduce sanctions and pressures against the group based on its political and economic interests”.

The movement said that the Taliban has turned Afghanistan into a hell of systematic oppression and violence for Afghan women and girls over the past three years.

The Purple Saturdays Movement has criticised that despite repeated calls from human rights activists, women's rights groups, and protest movements, no decisive and serious steps have been taken to prosecute Taliban leaders.

These protesting women called on the international community and the United Nations General Assembly to fulfill their obligations towards women.