Over 500 Afghan Children Killed or Injured by Explosive Remnants of War in 2024

On Saturday, the ministry revealed that 13 personnel have been trained to operate the newly introduced missile system.

In a statement issued on 6 January, the ministry noted that these individuals had completed their training at the General Staff Artillery Directorate. According to the Taliban, the operatives underwent a one-month specialised and technical training course.

The Ministry of Defence reported that the Konkurs and Milan missiles are capable of targeting armoured tanks, naval warships, and low-flying helicopters.

The Konkurs missile is a product of the former Soviet Union, while the Milan missile was developed through a joint effort between France and Germany. Both missile systems are considered legacy technologies, with the Milan having been designed in 1962 and the Konkurs entering production in 1974.

In 1991, Iran obtained a licence to produce a domestic version of the Konkurs missile, which it named Tosan, and subsequently began its production.

From a technical perspective, the Konkurs has a greater range and superior armour penetration capability compared to the Milan. The Milan system has seen widespread use among NATO member states, whereas the Konkurs has been favoured by nations aligned with Russia or the former Soviet Union.

The Taliban has not disclosed whether the missile system was sourced from foreign suppliers or if it forms part of the military assets inherited from the previous Afghan government.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Mohammed affirmed, “We will not give up. My commitment to defending their rights within the framework of Islam is unwavering.” She observed that setbacks have increased this year, further undermining the ability of Afghan women and girls to live with dignity.

Since the Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021, the group has systematically violated the fundamental rights of women and girls, including restricting their access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and expression, as well as their right to live free from violence.

In a recent move, the Taliban leadership ordered the closure of medical educational institutions to women and girls, further excluding them from critical professional fields.

United Nations experts cautioned in December that the Taliban’s policies amount to “gender apartheid.” They warned that preventing women from studying medical fields leads to unnecessary suffering, illness, and the potential loss of women’s lives.

According to refugee accounts, Pakistani police have conducted widespread raids aimed at detaining Afghans, with officers allegedly entering homes where Afghan refugees reside and arresting individuals—even those holding valid residency visas—before transferring them to undisclosed locations.

Local sources told Afghanistan International that many Afghans in Pakistan, after their visas expire, initiate the re-registration process to renew their documents. Under this procedure, the Ministry of the Interior’s visa system grants a one-month grace period and issues a confirmation document indicating that the visa renewal process is underway.

Previously, this confirmation was recognised as a valid legal permit and generally accepted by the police. However, in recent days, law enforcement officials have reportedly disregarded these papers, detaining even those who possess them. Witnesses state that some of those detained are being deported via the Torkham border, placing Afghan refugees in an increasingly precarious situation.

The intensified police operations have instilled fear and anxiety among Afghan migrants, many of whom live under constant threat of arrest and deportation. In response, Afghan refugees have called on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent action to address their deteriorating circumstances in Pakistan.

Stanekzai called on Trump to reopen the US embassy in Kabul and abide by the Doha agreement.

Stanekzai said on Saturday, January 4, at the graduation ceremony of 500 students of religious schools held at the Loya Jirga tent in Kabul, "The enemy does not always remain the enemy."

"We fought the Soviets in the past and they destroyed millions of people, but now we have good relations with Russia," he added.

Stanekzai also said, "We also fought with the United States for 20 years, but now we want to establish good relations with this country."

The Taliban official stressed that the Taliban's friendship with the United States is conditional on the United States adhering to the Doha Agreement and refraining from interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

Stanekzai stressed on the need to lift Western sanctions against Afghanistan and called for the release of blocked financial resources and the removal of the names of Taliban officials from the blacklist.

He also called on the United States to reopen its embassy in Afghanistan.

In another part of his speech, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister criticised the way of governance in Islamic countries, saying, "In Egypt, Islamic movements have been fighting for 90 years, but they have not yet been able to build a Sharia system and an Islamic government. We also see our neighbours, in the East and West, that they have fought in the name of Islam for decades, but they have not been able to build a system like us."

Afghan refugees and human rights activists have particularly criticised the United Nations and foreign embassies in Pakistan for failing to prevent the "anti-human rights actions" of the country's police.

"We did not come to Islamabad for fun and entertainment, we have taken refuge here to save our lives," Ahmad (pseudonym), an Afghan refugee, told Afghanistan International.

"Around the world, women and children are given a lot of attention, but we don't know why Afghans are being treated so inhumanely today," said Sarah, an Afghan woman refugee.

According to sources, most of the recently detained migrants are those whose visas have expired and they have been applying for new visas.

Although they are given documents to legally pursue visas after applying for new visas, police have refused to accept their documents and have imprisoned or deported many of them after being forcibly detained.

The recent arrests have raised concerns among asylum seekers who have submitted asylum applications to the US and other Western embassies awaiting admissions.

The refugees have called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Western countries to put pressure on the Pakistani government to release detainees and stop the process of detaining Afghan refugees.