United Nations Supports Afghanistan’s Saffron Cultivation for Sustainable Livelihoods

In a statement published on Saturday on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Zakharova noted, “Moscow is concerned over the escalation of tensions on the Pakistani-Afghan border, where not only the military but also civilians perish in shootouts.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry has called for a “constructive dialogue” between the Taliban and Pakistan to address their differences peacefully.

The statement coincides with the Taliban Ministry of Defence’s announcement of retaliatory attacks, conducted three days after Pakistani airstrikes targeted areas in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.

While the Taliban did not explicitly name Pakistan, their Ministry of Defence claimed that the retaliatory strikes occurred “beyond the Durand Line,” the term commonly used by Taliban officials to describe the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The Taliban’s retaliation follows Pakistan’s airstrikes on Tuesday evening in Barmal district, Paktika province. According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, at least 46 people, including women and children, were killed in the bombings, which targeted four locations.

After the airstrikes, the Taliban Ministry of Defence had pledged that the attacks would not go unanswered.

These families entered Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak, Torkham, Pul-e-Abrisham, and Islam Qala border crossings.

According to two reports published by the Bakhtar News Agency regarding their return, the families have been referred to international organisations for assistance.

Since the Taliban’s rise to power in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan. However, both nations detain and deport thousands of Afghan migrants back to Afghanistan each month.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that between 15 September 2023 and 30 November 2024, over 783,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan. Additionally, the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced plans to deport two million Afghan migrants by the end of the current year.

The ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it had attacked points on the other side of the "hypothetical Durand Line".

When asked if the statement referred to Pakistan, Defence Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Khwarizmi said, "We do not consider it to be Pakistani territory, so we cannot confirm that it was on Pakistani soil, but the attack was carried out on the other side of the hypothetical line," Reuters reported.

On Friday, the Taliban attacked targets in North Waziristan and Kurram areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in attacks from Khost and Paktika provinces.

AFP quoted a senior Pakistani border official as saying that at least one Pakistani soldier was killed and seven others were wounded in the attack.

The Taliban's Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that it had carried out retaliatory attacks about three days after a Pakistani airstrike on Paktika Province.

The defence ministry statement did not specifically mention Pakistan, but said that the strikes had been carried out "beyond the hypothetical Durand Line". The "Durand Line" is a term commonly used by Taliban officials to refer to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Taliban's police command in Kabul, said that four people were wounded in the incident.

The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, announced on Saturday, December 28, that its forces attacked the Taliban's Interior Ministry headquarters on the airport road at 9:30 am. The front claimed that a Taliban commander was also killed in the attack.

The NRF said that the attack targeted the security convoys of the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, and that 10 fighters of the group, including the commander of the third unit of the security headquarters of the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, were killed. The statement said that three Taliban military vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.

The statement said that the members of the Security Council are deeply concerned with the continuing negative impact of the Taliban’s policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms on Afghanistan’s peace, stability and development and its people.

In a statement issued by the Security Council on Friday, December 27, the results of the Security Council's meeting on Afghanistan on December 12 were reported.

The declaration emphasises on the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan. Security Council members have called for urgent action to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid and to restore financial and banking systems.

Members of the council called on the Taliban to repeal restrictive policies, especially on the rights of women and girls. According to the statement, women's and girls' access to education and their full participation in Afghanistan's development is vital to building trust between the international community and Afghanistan.

Following the publication of the statement, Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations, Nasir Ahmad Faiq, thanked Japan and the Security Council for focusing on women's rights, humanitarian needs and calling for an inclusive political dialogue.

"Reversing restrictive policies and developing a political roadmap are vital steps to building a stable, inclusive and prosperous Afghanistan," Faiq said.

The members of the Security Council stressed on the importance of developing a political roadmap that can transform Afghanistan into a stable and integrated country in the international community with the participation of all internal and external stakeholders.

In this statement, the Security Council considered drug trafficking as one of the sources of financing of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and emphasised on the need to support alternative livelihoods to reduce poppy cultivation.