Insurgents Raise Afghan Taliban Flags at Five Checkpoints, Says Pak Official

Alarmingly, 359 of the victims were children, according to the organisation.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ICRC highlighted its collaboration with the Afghan Red Crescent Society in delivering awareness programmes to over 240,000 individuals this year, more than half of whom were children.

The organisation underscored the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, describing 2024 as a year fraught with significant crises. It cited economic hardships, natural disasters, and the lingering impacts of armed conflict as the primary challenges facing the nation.

The ICRC voiced particular concern for vulnerable groups, including women, children, and individuals with disabilities, emphasising the urgent need for sustained international attention and long-term support to address these issues.

Access to clean drinking water was also identified as a critical challenge. The ICRC reported that it had rehabilitated 1,247 water pumps in nine provinces throughout 2024, aiming to improve access to this essential resource.

The report further revealed that floods impacted more than 119 people across 32 provinces, resulting in the destruction of 6,800 homes.

The ICRC called for continued efforts to deliver vital assistance to those most in need, urging the international community to remain focused on Afghanistan’s humanitarian plight.

According to an NRF statement, the attack resulted in the death of one of the minister’s guards and injuries to two others.

The NRF reported that the incident occurred at approximately 3:30 PM local time near the northern entrance to Kabul, in the Khair Khana area within Police District 17.

The Taliban have yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.

The NRF stressed that no civilians or members of their forces were harmed during the operation.

Several senior Taliban officials, including the Minister of Energy and Water, were reportedly in the area on Tuesday to inaugurate the “Shah wa Arous” dam in the Shakardara district of Kabul.

Türk described the move as a profound error and called on the Taliban to reverse all policies targeting Afghan women with discrimination.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Türk voiced deep concern over the Taliban’s Ministry of Economy warning NGOs to cease hiring women, labelling the directive as “entirely wrong.” He urged the Taliban to adopt a different path to ensure Afghanistan’s future prosperity.

Highlighting the dire situation in Afghanistan, Türk noted that more than half the population now lives in poverty. He underlined the vital role played by NGOs in providing life-saving aid to Afghan women, men, and children, warning that the Taliban’s decree would jeopardise access to humanitarian assistance across the country.

Türk called on the Taliban to revoke this “deeply discriminatory decree” and other measures that deny women and girls their fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, healthcare, and freedom of movement.

He further stressed that no nation could achieve sustainable political, economic, or social development while marginalising half its population. Türk urged the Taliban to reconsider their policies for the sake of Afghanistan’s stability and progress.

The directive follows a letter issued by the Taliban’s Ministry of Labour last week, instructing NGOs to comply with a two-year-old decree banning women from employment. Organisations failing to adhere to the ban risk losing their operating licences.

The Tajik Presidential Office announced on Monday that their discussions centred on “ensuring peace, stability, and regional security.”

In the statement, President Rahmon expressed satisfaction with the bilateral relations between the two countries, highlighting that, alongside security cooperation, ongoing engagement between Tajik and Pakistani officials is mutually beneficial.

The two leaders emphasised the importance of strengthening collaboration in combating terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking.

This meeting comes amidst escalating tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan. In recent days, armed clashes along the shared border have resulted in casualties on both sides.

Tajikistan serves as a host to leaders of the Afghan National Resistance Front and remains one of the few regional countries without formal diplomatic ties with the Taliban. Over the past three years since the Taliban’s return to power, Tajikistan has consistently raised concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and has been a staunch supporter of the National Resistance Front against the Taliban.

It is not yet clear whether the ISI chief met with the leaders of the National Resistance Front during his visit. Previously, some Pakistani diplomats had warned that if the Taliban failed to curb attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan might consider forging ties with groups opposed to the Taliban.

General Asim Munir was recently appointed as the head of Pakistan’s ISI.

This dam’s construction was finalised during the tenure of the previous government, with water storage operations commencing prior to the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. The project was completed at a cost of $52 million, funded by the national budget of the former Afghan administration.

According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Water and Energy, the dam stands 77 metres tall and has an annual capacity to regulate 30 million cubic metres of water. The “Shah wa Arous” dam is expected to irrigate between 2,700 and 3,500 hectares of agricultural land while also supplying 5 million cubic metres of drinking water.

The dam is equipped with the capacity to generate 1.2 megawatts of electricity. Construction initially began in 2012 but experienced significant delays due to a variety of challenges.

During the inauguration ceremony, Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, hailed the dam’s completion as a testament to the group’s commitment to Afghanistan’s development.

Mullah Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, underscored water management and energy development as key priorities for the Taliban administration. Furthermore, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, praised the project’s completion as a meaningful advancement in Afghanistan’s efforts to manage its water resources.