ISIS Presence In Afghanistan: "Never Been More Worried About Attacks On US Than Now"

Mohammad Naeem Noman, deputy director of the Taliban's First Political Department; Masoom Asim and Safiullah Jabarkhel, members of the ministry's Audit Office, will be sent to Delhi soon.

The newspaper on Sunday quoted "reliable sources" as saying that "amid the deepening of relations between Delhi and the Taliban, which has created tensions for other players in the region, including India's longtime rival, Pakistan", the Taliban is ready to send three more diplomats to the Afghan embassy in Delhi.

According to the newspaper, following the appointment of Ikramuddin Kamil as the Taliban's representative at the Afghan consulate in Mumbai, speculation arose that three more diplomats would be sent to Delhi soon.

Now, sources familiar with this position told the Sunday Guardian on condition of anonymity that Mohammad Naeem Noman, deputy director of the Taliban's Foreign Ministry's First Political Department, and Masoom Asim and Safiullah Jabarkhel, members of the ministry's Audit Office, will soon be sent to Delhi and will probably take charge of the Afghan embassy.

According to the Sunday Guardian, the Afghan embassy in Delhi is currently run by Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, who is the chargé d'affaires of the embassy.

Last year, Afghan media reported that three more individuals were likely to be sent to New Delhi, including Sohail Shaheen's son, Najib Shaheen. However, informed sources said that "his name has been removed from the list and he has been replaced by three new people. Of course, the possibility of his appointment in the future is not completely ruled out".

The Taliban and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs have not yet commented on the news.

According to the IRNA news agency, Afsaneh Ebrahimi said that the offer has been made to the Taliban and that Iran is waiting for the group's response.

According to the IRNA news agency, Ebrahimi said that South Khorasan province "has proven its goodwill and brotherhood with Afghanistan in various ways, and we expect the other country to fulfill its commitments."

The head of the Birjand Chamber of Commerce has also said that out of the four borders and the border market of South Khorasan, only the Mahirud border is active. He called for the reopening of other markets by the Taliban.

Alireza Khamezar added, "Iran's exports to Afghanistan are equivalent to twice as much as Iran's exports to 15 countries in the world, and 600 items of goods are exported to the country's market, so this country is considered a very important capacity for the development of economic and trade relations."

‘Health Tourism With Emphasis On Afghanistan’

According to IRNA, the spokesperson of the Health Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has said that the establishment of health tourism with an emphasis on Afghanistan is being pursued.

Salman Eshaqi, in a meeting with the governor of South Khorasan province on Sunday evening, the heads of Farah chambers of commerce and a group of Afghan businessmen and investors said, "The capacity of health tourists can be used to improve the medical and health equipment of the province."

"If we go in this direction, the presence of more medical specialists in the province will be provided and valuable services will be provided to the people of Afghanistan," he added.

Ishaqi said that with the implementation of this plan, "the costs of transportation, accommodation and treatment of the Afghan people will be reduced, and we will also benefit from the presence of specialists and up-to-date medical equipment in the province".

‘Facilitating Conditions For Afghan Investors And Businessmen’

Tasnim News Agency also wrote in a report that the governor of South Khorasan has called for easing the conditions of movement for Afghan investors and businessmen. In a meeting with the Afghan delegation, Mohammad Reza Hashemi said, "So far, many investors from Afghanistan have invested in the Special Economic Zone, and we consider ourselves obligated to support investors."

Hashemi also said that the completion of the Farah road in Afghanistan will be followed up and completed as soon as possible, adding that the extension of the duration of the operation of the borders of South Khorasan province is also being considered.

He added, "Regarding the request for unrestricted movement for traders, investors, and workers at the borders of the province and the possibility of staying overnight at the Mahirud site, a list should be provided to us to be followed up by the Supply Council and the Border Affairs Organisation Working Group."

The governor of South Khorasan said that we are ready to conclude an agreement with Farah province of Afghanistan, and said, "All capacities will be used to develop and strengthen relations with this country." The fuel station of the Yazdan border market has been confirmed and is ready for refueling, and after the official announcement, the Afghan fleet can refuel.

The governor of South Khorasan also spoke about the number of Afghan students in South Khorasan universities, saying that the province hosts more than 800 students from Afghanistan in various fields, including medicine.

At the graduation ceremony of students of a religious school in Khost, Stanekzai strongly criticised the decision of the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, saying that the ban on girls' education has no religious basis.

He called for the immediate reopening of schools and universities for girls, stressing that the ban on education is an injustice to 20 million people in Afghanistan.

Zalmay Khalilzad welcomed this stance and said that Stanekzai is one of the important Taliban officials who played a crucial role in the Doha talks.

He called on other Afghan religious scholars and Taliban leaders who privately oppose the ban on girls' education to make their opposition public.

The former US ambassador to Afghanistan also stressed that schools and universities should be reopened by the beginning of the solar year.

Khalilzad also welcomed the positions of Muslim scholars at the international conference in Islamabad. At the conference, titled "Educating Girls in Muslim Societies: Challenges and Opportunities" on January 11-12, scholars from the Muslim world called the ban on women's education contrary to Islamic teachings.

At the conference, Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, president of the Muslim Scholars Association, said, "Islam abhors depriving women of education, whether fully or partially, for a certain age, a certain stage or a particular discipline."

He sharply criticised the Biden administration for leaving US weapons in Afghanistan, saying, "They handed over our military equipment to the enemy."

In a speech at the Capitol One Arena in Washington on Sunday, January 19, Donald Trump called Joe Biden's administration officials "incompetent" and strongly criticised billions in aid to Afghanistan.

Addressing his supporters, he said, "Do you know that we used to give billions of dollars to Afghanistan every year?"

The US president-elect called the Taliban "enemies" and said that we should tell them that we will not give them money unless they return military equipment.

Donald Trump said during his election campaign that Afghanistan is one of the largest sellers of US military equipment in the world. He described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as the most embarrassing moment in the country's history.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the value of US military equipment in Afghanistan is $85 billion.

On the third anniversary of the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban held a military parade with US weapons. At the same time, Donald Trump blamed the Taliban's parade with American weapons as the result of Biden's "stupid" policy.

Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Law Enforcement Affairs, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian met with Abdul Malik Haqqani, deputy of the Taliban's Supreme Court, in Tehran.

Iranian media reported on Sunday that Pourjamshidian stressed during the meeting that the establishment of a direct channel between the intelligence and security agencies of the two sides can play an effective role in strengthening bilateral relations.

He added, "The two countries have always fought common enemies over the past years, and this has caused the enemies of the two Muslim nations to seek to exploit and create discord."

He stressed on the need for "vigilance on both sides to thwart these conspiracies" and mentioned the fight against terrorist groups, drug and human trafficking, expansion of judicial cooperation, extradition of criminals, immigration and border issues as important priorities in the relations between the two countries.

Iranian media reported that the Taliban delegation also called the establishment of a direct channel between the specialised departments of the two countries "the most effective solution to common issues in the fields of legal, judicial, citizens' affairs, borders, counter-terrorism and transnational organised crimes".

This is the first time that an Iranian official has publicly called for the establishment of an "intelligence channel" with the Taliban.

The Taliban has close relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the fields of security and intelligence. According to reports, the Islamic Republic has the most influence in the Taliban's leadership circle in Kandahar and has established close ties with some of the group's senior commanders. Iran has also played a significant role in the Taliban's victory.

‘Alternative Punishment For Afghan Refugees’

Meanwhile, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced that the group's delegation visited the children's prison in Tehran and called for addressing the problems of Afghan prisoners, especially imprisoned juveniles.

The Supreme Court said in a statement on Sunday that the administrative deputy of this institution met with the deputy of the Iranian judiciary on Saturday. In this meeting, the issue of alternatives to the death penalty for Afghan refugees sentenced to death in Iran was discussed.

Abdul Malik Haqqani called on the Iranian authorities to be lenient in dealing with Afghan refugees sentenced to death and to consider alternative methods of executing their punishment.

Iran regularly executes Afghan immigrants imprisoned in the country.

The Taliban has called for a ban on the execution of Afghan refugees in Iran, while the group itself has been accused of field trials, rape of prisoners, detention of dissidents, and widespread human rights violations.