Iran Confirms Visit of Afghan Jihadi Leader Sayyaf, Citing Medical Treatment

According to Pourabad, 1.95 million tonnes of goods were transported to Afghanistan through this route during the stated period.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday, citing the Iranian official, that Iran’s exports to Afghanistan via Dogharoon Customs rose by 25 percent between 20 March 2024 and 19 January 2025, compared to the same period last year.

Pourabad stated that 1,315,527 tonnes of goods were exported to Afghanistan during this time.

According to the Iranian official, key Iranian exports to Afghanistan included construction materials, iron, fuel, and liquefied gas.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Khashi, Supervisor of Sistan-Baluchestan province customs, also reported that over the past 11 months, Iran has exported goods worth $31 million to Afghanistan exclusively through the province’s border crossings.

The Iranian officials did not specify the reason behind the seventy percent increase in transit trade through the Dogharoon border. However, a decline in Afghan traders’ use of Pakistan for transit trade may be a significant factor behind the surge in imports via Iran.

In recent years, Pakistan has imposed severe restrictions on Afghan transit trade, along with multiple closures of the Torkham border crossing. Afghan traders have been required to provide financial guarantees in Pakistani banks equivalent to the value of their goods and pay 10 percent of the goods’ value as a clearance fee.

According to reports, two security personnel and one Pakistani civilian were also injured during the confrontation.

Local sources reported on Sunday evening that heavy fighting erupted between the two sides. A video of the incident shows intense exchanges of fire, though the exact cause of the clash remains unclear.

The confrontation occurred just after the Torkham border had been closed for nine days. Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, stated that the closure was due to the Taliban’s attempt to construct a checkpoint inside Pakistani territory—an action he described as a violation of existing protocols.

He emphasised that Pakistan seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Pakistani media reports indicate that multiple rounds of negotiations have taken place between Taliban and Pakistani border forces to reopen the crossing, but so far, discussions have been unsuccessful.

Each of the convicted individuals has also been sentenced to imprisonment ranging from six months to two years.

In separate statements on Sunday, the Taliban’s judiciary reported that three people in Takhar were punished for extramarital relations, three in Nangarhar for same-sex relations, and one in Kabul for producing and selling alcoholic beverages.

According to the court, the three individuals in Takhar’s Chah Ab district received prison terms of six months to one year. In Nangarhar’s Spin Ghar district, the Taliban’s primary court sentenced three individuals to one to two years in prison. Meanwhile, the individual convicted of producing and selling alcohol in Kabul was given a two-year sentence.

Over the past week, the Taliban has publicly flogged more than 40 people across Afghanistan for various offences, claiming these punishments enforce “Islamic Sharia.” However, international human rights organisations have condemned the Taliban’s judicial process as lacking fairness and due process.

The Daily Mail recently reported that many individuals punished by the Taliban over the past three and a half years may not have committed any crimes at all. The British newspaper highlighted that the Taliban has carried out severe punishments, including public floggings, stonings, executions by firing squad, and crushing individuals under walls.

He also accused the United States and some European countries of retaining a “mentality of war.”

In an interview aired on Sunday by the Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), Mujahid addressed the group’s relations with the West, acknowledging the challenges posed by past conflicts and what he described as the “occupation of Afghanistan” by Western nations.

“It is not easy to convince them, but negotiations are ongoing. Meetings have been held, and Taliban diplomacy is expanding day by day,” Mujahid stated.

The Taliban spokesperson emphasised that the group seeks international relations based on Islamic Sharia and mutual respect.

Mujahid also claimed that the U.S. and certain Western countries are unwilling to engage with the Taliban unless they change their perspective and acknowledge the problems they have created.

He reassured Western nations that Afghan soil would not be used against them and that the security of embassies and diplomatic missions would be ensured. “We want to establish official relations, which would build confidence,” he added.

According to Mujahid, the Taliban has repeatedly urged the U.S. and European nations to reopen their embassies in Afghanistan and allow the group to establish diplomatic missions in their countries. He asserted that European nations are interested in formal relations with the Taliban but remain restricted by “certain sensitivities and agreements with the U.S.”

“European countries look to the U.S. when deciding on relations with us,” he said, further claiming that some nations are already engaging with the Taliban unofficially but have yet to make their ties public.

During the interview, Mujahid also responded to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the Taliban’s control of U.S. military equipment and claims of a Chinese military presence at Bagram Airbase.

Dismissing Trump’s comments as “emotional,” Mujahid insisted that the military equipment in the Taliban’s possession was captured as “war spoils.”

He also denied Trump’s assertion that Chinese forces were stationed at Bagram, stating, “Not a single armed Chinese individual is present in Afghanistan. Bagram is fully under Taliban control.”

“Trump is a leader of a country like the U.S., and his statements should be more precise,” Mujahid added.

Mujahid also addressed the issue of military helicopters that Afghan government forces flew to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan following the Taliban’s takeover. He reiterated the group’s demand for their return.

He suggested that the U.S. might be pressuring Uzbekistan to retain the aircraft but insisted, “These helicopters belong to Afghanistan, and we still demand their return.”

Following the fall of the previous Afghan government on 15 August 2021, officials from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan confirmed that 22 military planes and 24 helicopters had entered their airspace.

The Taliban has repeatedly asserted its ownership of these aircraft. Last year, Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid declared that they would never allow Afghanistan’s northern neighbours to seize or use them.

Earlier, Wright posted a video from Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s national park, despite the Taliban banning Afghan women from entering the site a year and a half ago. At the time, Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, stated that women were prohibited from visiting the area, asserting that “tourism is neither obligatory nor necessary” for them.

Under Taliban-imposed restrictions, Afghan women are not permitted to travel more than 72 kilometres alone without a male guardian. The group has also barred women from entering parks, restaurants, and gyms.

On Friday, Wright shared images from Kabul and Herat on her social media accounts, showcasing various locations in both cities. Her posts included photos of an Ariana Airlines aircraft, the tiled ceiling of a shrine in Herat, a shop, and rickshaws on a street, although she was not visible in any of these pictures.

Afghanistan International reached out to Wright regarding the timing and purpose of her visit but has not yet received a response. The Taliban have also not commented on her presence in Afghanistan.

Wright is known as a vocal supporter of Palestine and frequently posts in solidarity with Palestinians.

Despite their harsh restrictions on Afghan women, the Taliban have facilitated travel for both male and female foreign tourists, seemingly to project a “positive image” of their rule to the world.

Civil society activists have condemned the Taliban’s double standards, highlighting the stark contrast between their oppressive measures against Afghan women and their hospitality towards foreign female visitors.

Last year, a 29-year-old Brazilian traveller who visited Taliban-controlled Afghanistan stated that while she disagreed with the Taliban’s ideology, she faced no issues despite travelling alone—likely due to her status as a foreigner.

Previously, photos of Taliban members posing affectionately with Chinese female tourists also sparked widespread controversy.