Taliban Claims It Is Not Isolated & Has Diplomatic Relations With Key Countries

The Taliban official called on countries not to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

In an audio tape on Friday, December 20, the Taliban's deputy spokesman stressed that the group's commitments in the Doha Agreement are clear and they have adhered to it.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said on Thursday (December 19) that the Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which rules Damascus, must follow through on its promises to form an inclusive government and learn from the Taliban's isolation. He stressed that the rebels ruling Syria must take concrete steps to advance the country's affairs.

During the peace talks in Doha, Taliban officials spoke of changes in their views and promised to respect the rights of Afghan citizens, including women. After taking control of Afghanistan, the group reneged on calls for the formation of an inclusive government and respect for women's rights, and returned to the harsh policies of the 1990s.

"The Taliban portrayed a more moderate face when they took over Afghanistan, or at least tried to portray them as such, but their true nature was later revealed," the secretary of state told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

However, Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban's deputy spokesman, said that the recent changes that have taken place in Afghanistan are based on "Islamic law" and that other countries should not interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

He noted that the group's commitments in the Doha talks did not stipulate that other countries should interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Islamist group Tahrir al-Sham who recently took power in Damascus, says he does not want to establish a Taliban-style government in Syria. Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that unlike the Taliban leaders, he will not stop the education of women and girls.

Five Days After Ashraf Ghani's Former Bodyguard Commits Suicide, Taliban Releases His Wife

Dec 20, 2024, 13:38 GMT+0

Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban released Rahmdel Hanafi, one of Ashraf Ghani's former bodyguards’ wife from prison five days after he committed suicide.

Rahmdel Hanafi committed suicide in Kabul on Sunday, December 15, due to the arrest of his wife by the Taliban.

Earlier, sources told Afghanistan International that Rahmdel Hanafi has 10 children, and after the Taliban took away his wife, he approached the group's institutions but did not receive a response. He committed suicide in Kabul after unsuccessful attempts to find his wife.

Sources said that Rahmdel Hanafi committed suicide three days after his wife was arrested by the Taliban. According to Taliban sources, his wife was released from a prison in Kabul on Thursday, December 19.

Rahmdel Hanafi had migrated to Iran after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, but had returned to Afghanistan with the guarantee of Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban's minister of commerce, and Qudratullah Amini, the former governor of Panjshir.

The Taliban has not yet commented on the incident, but the group has arbitrarily detained a number of former Afghan military personnel and officials and their family members in the past.

Iran Deported Afghan Refugees With Residency Documents, Confirms UN

Dec 20, 2024, 12:24 GMT+0

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed that the Islamic Republic has deported many Afghan refugees with valid residency documents in the past year.

The organisation said that Iran has sharply increased the forced return and deportation of migrants in 2024.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a video release on Friday (December 20) that the Islamic Republic of Iran has repatriated thousands of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan every week from its borders in 2024.

The organisation added that among them are immigrants who have valid residency documents.

Recently, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that Iran has deported more than one million Afghan refugees in the past year.

UNHCR added that following the intensification of the deportation process of migrants from Iran, it has increased the provision of services to returnees at the Afghanistan-Iran border and provided immediate cash and social assistance to vulnerable returnees.

Meanwhile, Bakhtar News Agency, a Taliban-controlled media outlet, reported on Friday that at least 135 families had been deported from Iran and Pakistan in a single day and returned to Afghanistan. The Taliban media outlet wrote that 32 families from Pakistan and 103 families from Iran have returned to Afghanistan.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had announced on Wednesday, December 18, that more than 1.2 million Afghan refugees had returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran in 2024. According to the organisation, more than 1.1 million people have entered the country from Iran's borders, 80,500 from Pakistan, and 100,000 through the airport.

Road Accidents In Afghanistan Increased 'Five-Fold' Since Taliban’s Return

Dec 20, 2024, 10:51 GMT+0

The emergency hospital in Kabul reported that since August 2021, the total number of road accidents in Afghanistan has increased fivefold.

According to statistics recorded between March 2022 and March 2024, there has been a 78.5% increase in road accidents in Afghanistan.

The report, published on Thursday, December 20, states that the number of accidents has increased from 2,662 to 5,520 during this period.

With the official end of hostilities, many roads have been reopened, however, most remain in war-like conditions and need to be rebuilt, the hospital said.

In addition to poor road conditions and high speeds, many accidents are also caused by landslides on the road and non-compliance with traffic regulations.

The report states that in Afghanistan, passengers often do not have suitable vehicles, and widespread poverty means that large numbers of people gather in one vehicle to travel long distances.

The report follows two traffic accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, which according to the Taliban, left 52 people dead.

Emergency is an international humanitarian organisation that provides free medical treatment to victims of war, poverty, and landmines. The organisation was founded in 1994.

Since its establishment, the organisation has treated more than nine million patients. Most of its activities are in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Italy, Sudan and Uganda.

4 Taliban Members Killed In Front Of Bagram Airfield, Claims Afghanistan Freedom Front

Dec 20, 2024, 09:34 GMT+0

The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claimed that four Taliban members, including a commander, had been killed in an attack by the group's forces in front of the entrance to the Bagram Airfield on Thursday evening.

According to the front, in another attack by its forces in Jabal al-Sarraj district, two Taliban members were wounded.

The front also released a video of its forces attacking the entrance to the Bagram Airfield.

According to the front, Taliban commander Mullah Malang Helmandi was among the four people killed in the attack on Thursday evening. Three other Taliban members were wounded in the attack.

The front said that two Taliban members were wounded in the attack by its forces in the vicinity of Jabal al-Sarraj district.

Afghanistan International could not independently confirm the casualties and the occurrence of these attacks. However, local sources said that an explosion occurred around 4:30pm in the Jabal al-Sarraj area of Parwan province.

Taliban's Ministry of Justice Publishes Law On Land Distribution To Returning Refugees

Dec 19, 2024, 12:28 GMT+0

The Taliban's Ministry of Justice announced the signing of three new laws by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the group.

The laws include distributing land to returning refugees, renting government land, and arranging privileges and facilities for returning industrialists and businessmen, the Taliban said.

The Taliban's Ministry of Justice wrote in a statement on Thursday (December 19) that the laws have been "enforced and registered in the official gazette" after being signed by the group's leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The Taliban has published a law on the distribution of land to returning refugees under the title of "Procedure of the Land Distribution Board for Returning Refugees”.

The law states that according to the decree of Hibatullah Akhundzada, "houses and land" will be distributed to the returning refugees at the central and provincial levels.

According to the text of the law on the distribution of land to the returned refugees, the Taliban intends to establish specific settlements for the refugees in areas with livelihood facilities in the centre and provinces.

Earlier, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that more than 1.2 million Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran in 2024.

These migrants, some of whom have lived in these host countries for decades, face housing and livelihood problems in Afghanistan.

However, some Taliban opponents have previously criticised the movement of migrants in northern Afghanistan.

In one instance, the National Council of Resistance for the Salvation of Afghanistan said in November last year that the Taliban intended to change the social fabric of the region by relocating refugees deported from Pakistan to northern Afghanistan.

The council stressed that the Taliban is endangering the coexistence and security of the region with their "divisive plans" and "politicisation" of the settlement of refugees.

Public Land Lease Law

The Taliban's Ministry of Justice has also announced the implementation and publication of the law on renting government lands.

The law aims to lease state land to individuals, businessmen and investors and make effective use of them, the group said.

The statement said that the Taliban's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock will be the authority to implement this law.

The law will also address issues such as disputes over leased land, violations, cases of termination of lease and obtaining guarantees from tenants, the Taliban said.

On Thursday, the Taliban's Ministry of Justice also announced the implementation and publication of a third law, entitled "Procedure for Regulating Privileges and Facilities for Returning Industrialists and Traders”.

According to the text of the law, this document will provide privileges and facilities for Afghan refugees who want to return to Afghanistan and carry out business activities in the country.

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