Taliban’s Stanekzai & Pak’s Durrani Argue Over Retaliatory Measures

Referring to the importance of protecting the environment and observing international law regarding the border rivers between the two countries, Baghaei emphasised that it is necessary to pay attention to these principles.

Baghaei also on Friday expressed concern about the impact of dams under construction in Afghanistan on the amount of water entering Iran.

In frequent talks with the Taliban, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has stressed that the exploitation of water resources should not take place without respecting Iran's rights, bilateral treaties and the principles of good neighbourliness, he said.

Referring to the cultural, religious, ethnic and civilisational ties between Iran and Afghanistan and Iran's hosting of about five million Afghan refugees, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasised that it is necessary to respect mutual interests and avoid unilateral actions.

After the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, Tehran has repeatedly called on the group to restore the flow of water from the Helmand River to Iran, but the Taliban, citing the drought, has claimed that the water has naturally decreased and has not been blocked.

Iran has also recently raised criticisms of the construction of the Pashdan Dam in Herat.

A spokesman for Iran's water industry recently announced that Afghanistan's unilateral exploitation of the Harirud River is a violation of customary law and could harm the basic needs of millions of people, including the supply of water to Mashhad.

Abdul Kabir said that although Tajikistan has not yet handed over the Afghan embassy to the Taliban, extensive trade relations between the two countries are underway.

The Taliban's deputy prime minister said on Friday, January 3, that the Afghan embassy in Dushanbe is not under the management of the group so far, but the Sher Khan port crossing is open to traders from the two countries.

Abdul Kabir said that Afghan and Tajik businessmen are currently moving between the two countries. In his speech in Kabul, he claimed that the Taliban's political and economic relations with the countries of the region were expanding and progressing.

The Taliban official also called on countries hosting Afghan refugees to stop forcibly deporting Afghans and allow Afghans to return to their country voluntarily.

In the past three years, Tajikistan has had the least relations with the Taliban compared to other Central Asian countries.

Tajikistan has so far refused to accept the Taliban's diplomatic representative at the Afghan embassy. On the other hand, some anti-Taliban groups have been active in Tajikistan during this period.

A picture of Hazara, that has been published, shows that he is bleeding and has been taken to the hospital.

Pakistan's Hazara Democratic Party confirmed in a statement on its Facebook account on Friday, January 3, that Abdul Khaliq Hazara had been attacked.

According to the statement, police have arrested a suspect in the attack on Abdul Khaliq Hazara. The party, however, did not provide details about the identity of the attacker or his motive.

Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Pakistan's Balochistan province, reacted to the attack and expressed concern over it.

A Pakistani media outlet reported on Friday, January 3, that Abdul Khaliq Hazara was attacked inside his house on Thursday night and that the person who was arrested was his neighbour.

The media outlet quoted a spokesman for the Hazara Democratic Party of Pakistan as saying that Abdul Khaliq Hazara was injured during the robbery and a clash with the thief.

Shahid Rind, the spokesman for the local government of Balochistan province, has promised that justice will be served after the investigation.

The attacks took place around 1:30am and the Taliban claims to have responded to the Pakistani attacks.

Talib Mangal, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Khost, confirmed the Pakistani rocket attacks, but declined to provide details.

No details have been released about possible casualties or damage in the conflict. Pakistani officials have not commented on the matter.

Pakistani attacks in the border areas of Afghanistan, especially in the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Kunar and Khost, have occurred repeatedly in recent years.

The Pakistani Air Force carried out airstrikes on the Barmal district of Paktika province in December. The Taliban put the death toll in the attacks at 46.

The Taliban have always claimed to defend the territorial integrity of Afghanistan, but the repeated rocket attacks by Pakistan have raised questions about the group's ability to contain these attacks.

Earlier, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan would attack targets in Afghanistan in the future as part of a new military operation against militants.

He added that the attacks would be on groups that target security forces and civilians in Pakistan.

Waltz said that the plan includes action in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, where attacks against the United States could be planned.

Waltz said in an interview with Fox News on Friday, January 3, that the United States must take a serious look at its defence and, most importantly, close its borders.

The national security adviser of the upcoming US administration added in this interview that in recent years, more than 300 people on the terrorist watch list have crossed US borders.

"Last year, eight ISIS members were identified and arrested as they were planning attacks in three different cities," he said. "However, a number of members of the group, who are based in Tajikistan, have not yet been identified."

Mike Waltz also emphasised on the importance of intelligence and law enforcement cooperation in countering the threat of terrorist groups, adding, "Apart from this, the offensive aspect must also be considered. This includes assessing external strategies, the location of bases and the deployment of special forces to prevent the activities of groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other regions."

According to him, these measures are necessary to maintain America's security and allow Washington to prevent possible planning and attacks by jihadist groups.