Turkmenistan President Orders Acceleration Of TAPI Gas Pipeline Construction

He stated that the CSTO’s decision to reinforce Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan stems from concerns over the risk of terrorism spreading into the region.

Speaking on Friday during the fourth meeting of parliamentary committee heads from CSTO member states, Tasmagambetov underscored that the adoption of a targeted interstate programme to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border reflects a shared understanding among member states regarding potential security threats to Central Asia.

According to a CSTO press release, he highlighted that terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking primarily originate from Afghan territory and urged closer collaboration among the Parliamentary Assembly of CSTO member states to safeguard regional security.

The CSTO, a regional security alliance, comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan as permanent members.

Afghanistan Remains a Key Concern for CSTO Leadership

On 30 January, Andrey Serdyukov, head of the CSTO Joint Staff, also identified Afghanistan as a significant security threat to the region. He warned that Afghanistan remains the primary source of instability, radical ideology, terrorism, and drug trafficking in Central Asia.

The Taliban administration, however, has consistently denied the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, rejecting such allegations from international bodies and regional security organisations.

According to the findings, Afghans make up the second-largest foreign community in the country, following Iraqis.

The TSI data also indicates that the total number of foreign residents in Türkiye stood at 1,480,547 over the past year, reflecting a decrease of 89,996 compared to 2023.

The report highlights that citizens from Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Turkmenistan, and Iran are among the most represented foreign nationals in the country.

Notably, Türkiye’s address registration system is only available to individuals with legal residency status, meaning that undocumented refugees are not included in the official counts.

The TSI further reported that Türkiye’s overall population has reached 85,664,944, marking an increase of approximately 292,000 people compared to the previous year.

The session will review a report submitted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, outlining the ongoing dangers posed by the terrorist group.

The Secretary-General’s report, which was distributed to Security Council members on 31 January, highlights that ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) remains a significant threat both inside and outside Afghanistan.

According to the report, ISIS continues to wield considerable propaganda influence and retains access to substantial financial reserves, with its funds in Iraq and Syria alone estimated at approximately $10 million.

The document also references an ISIS suicide attack in Afghanistan, which resulted in the death of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees. The report suggests that the attack may have been an attempt to challenge the Taliban’s claims of maintaining security in Afghanistan.

Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed on 11 December 2024, in an explosion at the Ministry of Refugees building in Kabul. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Pakistani military alleged that the deceased was involved in terrorist activities and cited his death as “irrefutable evidence of Afghan nationals’ involvement in terrorism within Pakistan.”

According to the statement, Nusrat was killed on 6 February in an operation conducted by security forces in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan.

The statement further revealed that the Taliban had contacted Pakistan to retrieve the body of the slain Afghan national. Authorities confirmed that Nusrat was a resident of Khost province of Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Army reiterated its expectation that the Taliban administration upholds its commitments and prevents terrorists from using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan.

According to sources shared with Afghanistan International, the event will bring together representatives from the Taliban, political parties, civil society, and women. Expected attendees include the sons of Hazara leaders Karim Khalili and Mohammad Mohaqiq, a representative of Jamiat e Islami party leader Salahuddin Rabbani, a delegate from the Islamic Movement Council, the son of Hizbe Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as well as former member of parliament Farkhunda Zahra Naderi.

Although some journalists have been invited, the forum has imposed restrictions on media coverage, barring any reporting on the discussions. Like the first round of the process, this meeting will be conducted behind closed doors.

Uncertainty Over Taliban Participation

The first round of the National Dialogue Process, held in November 2023, gathered 70 representatives from diverse political and ethnic groups, ethnic, and factions. However, several Taliban representatives and key political figures declined to participate. It remains unclear whether the Taliban will attend this second round of the process.

Participants of the inaugural round of the process had emphasised the necessity of a transparent intra-Afghan dialogue process to pave the way for meaningful political engagement.

Objectives of the National Dialogue Process

The National Dialogue Process consists of 35 permanent members and convenes every three months to foster a culture of dialogue. Its primary objective is to provide a platform for constructive discussions between Afghans inside and outside the country, promoting national trust and addressing Afghanistan’s political, social, economic, and cultural challenges.

Established in 2022 as a collective initiative of Afghan political, social, and economic leaders, the assembly operates with a council-based structure and a rotating leadership.

Prominent figures leading the forum include Uzbek young leader Babar Farahmand, former minister Mustafa Mastoor, former deputy ministers Hikmat Khalil Karzai, and Idris Zaman.