Drug Smuggling From Afghanistan Has Not Stopped, Says Iranian Deputy Minister of Interior

Nazari acknowledged the delay in the payment of employees' salaries, fluctuations in the value of the Afghani currency, and the suspension of the work of foreign institutions, but called it a "normal" phenomenon.

Earlier, Afghanistan International, citing reliable sources from government agencies, reported that the authorities had officially informed them that their salaries would not be paid in the next three months.

Sources also said that the Taliban has banned logistical procurement and purchases in offices.

Two days after the publication of this report, Latif Nazari, the Taliban's deputy minister of economy, posted a video of himself on the social media platform X and emphasised that the fluctuation of the value of the Afghani in the market, the delay in the payment of employees' salaries, and the suspension of the activities of foreign institutions are a "normal" matter and cannot create an obstacle to Afghanistan's progress.

US foreign aid, with the exception of aid to Israel and Egypt, was suspended during the first hours of Donald Trump's presidency. Hours after the suspension of these aids, the relative economic stability in Afghanistan was disrupted and the price of the Afghani currency reached 80 Afghanis.

Following the fall in the price of the Afghani currency, the Taliban took strict measures to control the market.

In the past few days, local sources reported the deployment of Taliban intelligence forces in Sarai Shahzada, the main currency exchange centre in Afghanistan. According to money changers, the Taliban monitors the exchange rate and conducts strict inspections of their cash registers and phones.

Money changers say that these actions of the Taliban have stopped the purchase and sale of dollars in this centre.

The Taliban also sold the dollar to money changers for 78 afghanis on Wednesday, but hours later, they forcibly auctioned it for 75 afghanis in the market, causing heavy financial losses to the money changers.

Following the sharp decline in the value of the Afghani, the Taliban's Central Bank has injected about $70 million into the market in the past week. However, money changers claim that the actual amount of dollars auctioned is much lower than the amount announced by the Taliban.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Thursday announced the official rate of the dollar at 74 afghanis and stressed that "the afghani has maintained its value and there is no need to worry".

Referring to polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, she said that this measure poses a serious threat to the fight against polio eradication.

The head of the WHO's regional division stressed on the important role of US relief assistance in an online news conference.

Balkhi raised her concerns about the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organisation, adding that this issue will have a serious impact on vulnerable groups in Afghanistan.

The polio vaccine is vital for Afghanistan and should be used to prevent the spread of the disease, she said.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 25 cases of polio have been recorded in Afghanistan in 2024. This comes as the Taliban claim that there are no positive cases of polio in the country.

Polio Free Afghanistan had announced on January 26 that a new round of polio vaccination campaigns will soon begin in 16 provinces of Afghanistan.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of all foreign aid for nearly 90 days.

This action has raised concerns about the spread of poverty, the strengthening of food insecurity, and the fragility of Afghanistan's health situation.

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan confirmed on Thursday that discussions on the matter are ongoing between Islamabad and Washington.

However, the spokesperson did not provide further details on the nature or progress of the discussions with American officials.

The refugee transfer programme was suspended following the election of Donald Trump as US President and the subsequent executive order halting the country's refugee admissions. As a result, thousands of eligible Afghan refugees remain in limbo in third countries such as Pakistan, Qatar, and Albania.

Many of these refugees have expressed concerns regarding their safety, citing their past cooperation with US institutions in Afghanistan over the past two decades. They fear retribution from the Taliban and have been awaiting relocation under the US refugee programme.

According to reports, approximately 15,000 eligible Afghan refugees are currently in Pakistan, 3,000 in Qatar, and another 500 in Albania, awaiting their transfer to the United States.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously announced that, under an agreement between Washington and Islamabad, the transfer of these refugees was expected to be completed by September 2025. Despite the suspension of the programme by the Trump administration, the ministry maintains that the agreement remains in effect.

The proposed bill, titled the "Stop Funding Global Terrorists Act," would make US aid through the United Nations conditional on the US State Department guaranteeing that Washington's cash assistance would not be sent to Afghanistan in UN humanitarian shipments.

Under the second provision of the bill, the State Department must also ensure that no "terrorist organisation" benefits from this US assistance.

"The American people do not support their tax dollars being used to fund terrorism," Senator Capito wrote in a statement.

She said that her proposed bill would ensure that US aid would not enter Afghanistan in UN cash shipments for the benefit of the Taliban group, which has oppressed women and girls.

"If the UN cannot properly maintain the account of US funds that are provided to Afghanistan, it should not be trusted," Capito said.

The West Virginia senator said that a number of other senators are backing the bill, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Katie Britt of Alabama, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Senator Capito added in her statement that according to SIGAR's report, at least $10.9 million of US taxpayer funds fell into the hands of the Taliban in May last year.

At a press conference on Thursday, January 30, he declared that Afghanistan is the main source of instability, the spread of radical ideology, terrorism and drug trafficking, TASS reported.

He emphasised that although Afghanistan has had positive changes, it is known as a threat to CSTO member states.

‘CSTO Military Exercise in 2025’

Serdyukov also announced that the organisation will hold military exercises in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus in 2025.

Andrei Serdyukov said that the drills are planned for military readiness in crisis situations and to ensure the security of member states.

He said that one of the CSTO's priorities in 2025 is to equip security systems with a variety of modern weapons.

Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are permanent members of the CSTO.

Andrei Serdyukov announced that the CSTO military exercises will be held in Belarus in September, in Kyrgyzstan in the first half of October, and in Tajikistan in the second half of October 2025.

The CSTO exercise in Tajikistan has been dubbed "Indestructible Brotherhood" and is said to have an "anti-terrorist" aspect.

Andrei Serdyukov emphasised, "I am sure that in 2025 we will be able to achieve all our goals.

The secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) announced in July this year that there is a possibility of further expansion of terrorism and drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Central Asia. Imangali Tasmagambetov said that Afghanistan remains the main source of instability in Central Asia.