U.S. Will Return to Afghanistan, Says Congressman Pat Harrigan

According to the statement, each of the accused received 39 lashes and was sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three and a half years.

The Taliban court confirmed that the punishments were carried out on Monday in Jaghori district of Ghazni province and Khas Uruzgan district.

As per the ruling, two individuals received three and a half years’ imprisonment, another was sentenced to one and a half years, while the remaining person received a one-year prison term.

The Taliban described the public flogging as part of the implementation of “Islamic Sharia law.”

Since returning to power, the group has routinely carried out public punishments across Afghanistan, including floggings, amputations, and executions, often drawing international condemnation from human rights organisations.

In a letter addressed to the U.S. Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Defense, the coalition highlighted the urgent need to relocate Afghan allies, many of whom worked alongside U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan.

According to Reuters, Shawn VanDiver, head of the AfghanEvac coalition, wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that failing to relocate Afghan allies could undermine trust in the United States and weaken local support for U.S. forces in future conflicts.

In the letter, VanDiver argued that not exempting Afghan refugees from Trump’s order would send a dangerous message to adversaries such as ISIS, suggesting that the United States abandons its allies in times of need.

A copy of the letter was also sent to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

VanDiver urged senior members of Trump’s cabinet to allow Afghan refugees to be resettled, despite the broader suspension of refugee admissions.

On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order halting the U.S. refugee admissions programme, effectively freezing the resettlement of thousands of displaced individuals, including Afghans awaiting relocation.

According to the AfghanEvac coalition, approximately 3,000 Afghan refugees remain stranded in camps in Qatar and Albania, while an estimated 50,000 others are stuck in Pakistan and other countries, awaiting approval to enter the United States.

Despite the ongoing suspension, Trump granted an exemption last Friday allowing a group of white South African refugees to be relocated to the United States, a decision that has sparked debate over the prioritisation of refugee resettlement policies.

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Waltz claimed that the Taliban dictate who secures and who is denied UN contracts, significantly influencing the distribution of international aid.

Waltz’s remarks come in the wake of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Trump’s team, along with Republican representatives in Congress, have repeatedly claimed that the Taliban have benefited from international assistance over the past three years.

The U.S. Secretary of State under the Biden administration previously acknowledged that out of the $3 billion in U.S. financial aid, the Taliban may have received approximately $10 million through various channels.

Waltz confirmed that Afghanistan has received over $3 billion in humanitarian aid in the past three years and criticised the UN’s oversight of the distribution process. He highlighted that contracting companies play a major role in determining how U.S. aid is allocated through the UN, arguing that the Taliban exert significant influence in selecting these contractors.

He stated “I don’t think the American people support $3 billion-plus going to the Taliban through a series of UN contractors, allowing them to dictate who benefits and who is punished on the ground.”

Waltz insisted that evidence backs his claims, telling NBC News “We have documented evidence after documented evidence that this is happening. We don’t want studies and commissions. The President wants action, and that’s what he’s getting.”

Additionally, Waltz criticised the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is now integrated into the State Department, alleging that it has failed to effectively utilise U.S. financial aid and that its assistance has not served American interests.

Taliban Prisoner Exchange Before Trump’s Inauguration

In a separate remark, Waltz highlighted the success of the new U.S. administration in securing the release of American prisoners from Taliban captivity, arguing that the Biden administration had failed in this regard.

A day before Donald Trump’s inauguration, two American citizens, Ryan Corbett and William McEntee, were released in exchange for a Taliban prisoner, returning to the United States after a prolonged period of captivity.

Mujahid asserted that a substantial budget is required to effectively combat drug smuggling, adding that while the Taliban has taken measures within its capacity, a unilateral effort is insufficient. He also reiterated the Taliban’s stance that no terrorist groups are present in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Imangali Tasmagambetov, the CSTO Secretary-General, labelled Afghanistan as a source of potential terrorist threats and drug trafficking for Central Asia.

Tasmagambetov stated that the CSTO’s decision to reinforce the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border was driven by the risk of terrorism and narcotics smuggling spreading into the region.

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

He further emphasised that the primary sources of terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking originate from Afghanistan.

On Monday, in an interview with Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan, Mujahid dismissed the CSTO’s concerns over terrorism and drug smuggling.

However, he acknowledged the complexity of tackling the issue, stating “The CSTO must understand that preventing [drug trafficking] cannot be done unilaterally and requires a large budget.”

He also called for greater regional cooperation in combating drug smuggling networks.

Last year, Zabihullah Mujahid admitted that drug trafficking from Afghanistan was still ongoing, citing the existence of multiple smuggling routes and the continuation of the transfer of stored narcotics reserves.

Despite Taliban claims of counter-narcotics efforts, concerns persist among neighbouring countries and international organisations regarding Afghanistan’s role in global drug production and trafficking.

According to these sources, the Taliban plans to send an initial delegation to New Delhi to assess the embassy’s status and determine its operational needs.

While no official announcement has been made regarding the names of the Taliban diplomats, an informed source identified Najib Shaheen, son of Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s ambassador in Doha, and Shaukat Ahmadi, another Taliban-affiliated figure, as potential candidates for diplomatic positions at the embassy.

The decision to negotiate the transfer of the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi to Taliban control has reportedly faced resistance from former diplomats still managing the mission.

Last year, Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, claimed that Sayed Mohammad Ibrahim and Zakia Wardak, two Afghan consuls in India, were already cooperating with the Taliban’s foreign ministry and that the embassy would soon be under their administration.

However, Ibrahimkhil, the Afghan Consul General in Hyderabad, stated in a video message that he had taken charge of the embassy’s consular affairs at the request of the Indian government but did not confirm any affiliation with the Taliban’s foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, Wardak resigned from her position after being detained at Mumbai airport on gold smuggling charges.

India has previously accepted a Taliban diplomat, Ikramuddin Kamil, as Second Consul General at the Afghan Consulate in Mumbai. According to Hedayatullah Hedayat, the Deputy Head of the Taliban’s National Radio and Television, Kamil has now taken full control of the Afghan consulate in Mumbai.

Following the fall of the Afghan Republic, internal conflicts surfaced within the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. In late 2023, Farid Mamundzay, the former Afghan government’s ambassador, resigned under alleged Taliban pressure and due to India’s direct engagement with the group.

After his resignation, Sayed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, the Afghan Consul General in Hyderabad, assumed charge of the embassy with India’s approval.

Sources indicate that India has intensified its direct dealings with the Taliban, marginalising non-Taliban diplomats at the embassy. This shift has been evident in India’s handling of Afghan consulates across the country.

Earlier this year, after Zakia Wardak was removed as Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai due to her gold smuggling charges, India transferred control of the consulate to Rohullah Kamil, a Taliban-affiliated official, with the group’s approval.

Over the past three years, senior Indian diplomats have visited Afghanistan, and reports suggest that a "technical team" from India is currently stationed at the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

In a recent development, Vikram Misri, India’s Deputy Foreign Minister, met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, in Dubai last month. India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that the discussions focused on regional developments and the expansion of humanitarian cooperation.