China, Iran Officials Meet To Address Afghanistan Issues
Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Representative for Afghan Affairs, met with Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs.
Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Representative for Afghan Affairs, met with Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs.
Iranian media said they discussed Afghanistan and shared concerns between Tehran and Beijing. The Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported Xiaoyong visited Pakistan, Iran, and Qatar from March 11 to March 20. He met officials in each country.
In Iran, Xiaoyong and Takht-Ravanchi exchanged views on Afghanistan issues. ISNA noted Xiaoyong also met Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, in Pakistan.
In Qatar, he spoke with Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban’s political office, and Karen Decker, the US chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, about Afghan affairs.
Two credible sources in Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Mahmood Shah Habibi, the former head of Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, has been transferred from prison to a guesthouse owned by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Habibi, a dual Afghan-American citizen, was reportedly moved ten days ago from a Kandahar prison to the Aino Mina area. The guesthouse was formerly owned by General Abdul Raziq, the late police commander of Kandahar. It is now controlled by Akhundzada and closed off to public access.
Sources said the Taliban leader once used the guesthouse for meetings but has not visited it recently. A few days ago, Akhundzada’s guards reportedly brought in two doctors, though it is unclear who they treated.
Earlier, two Taliban insiders confirmed to Afghanistan International that Habibi had been transferred to Kandahar about a year ago due to mounting pressure from the United States. These sources also noted that details of his detention are kept within the Taliban leadership and not shared widely.
A spokesperson for the US State Department, Tammy Bruce, previously expressed concern over Habibi’s health. She confirmed that the US government is actively working to secure his release, along with that of other American citizens still held in Afghanistan.
Roughly a month ago, sources said Habibi was being held in a facility known during the Republic era as the National Security Research Center. Located opposite the Aino Mina entrance, the site is now used as a private prison by the Taliban leader.
Habibi’s brother recently told Afghanistan International that US officials raised his case during their talks with the Taliban. The State Department reportedly promised to continue pushing for his release.
Last week, following a US delegation visit to Kabul, American citizen George Glezmann was released after two years in Taliban custody. Former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad later said the release was a gesture of goodwill to Donald Trump and the American people.
Michael Kugelman, South Asia Director at the Wilson Center, says the United States is signalling a shift in its approach to the Taliban. He believes the US is now looking to work more closely with Taliban leaders based in Kabul, sidelining the group’s leadership in Kandahar.
According to Kugelman, the US has limited goals in Afghanistan. These include securing the release of American hostages, recovering weapons, and identifying ISIS operatives. He added that lifting the bounties on key figures from the Haqqani Network could help advance these goals.
On Sunday, Kugelman posted on X that the US is avoiding broader ideological or social issues and dealing with areas under Kabul’s control.
The US State Department recently removed Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister and head of the Haqqani Network, along with Aziz Haqqani and Yahya Haqqani, from its Rewards for Justice wanted list. Previously, it had offered $10 million for information on Sirajuddin and $5 million each for Aziz and Yahya.
Sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that the bounties were lifted. However, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s name still appears on the FBI’s wanted list.
The Haqqani Network is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US. It was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani in the late 1970s and is accused of carrying out some of the deadliest attacks during the two-decade war in Afghanistan. These include the 2011 19-hour assault on the US Embassy in Kabul and the 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel.
The removal of names from the State Department’s list coincided with a visit by a US delegation to Kabul. The group was led by Adam Boehler, US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and included former peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
This was the first US delegation to visit Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since the US withdrawal in 2021. They met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister. It is unclear if other Taliban leaders took part in the talks.
Before the visit, the Taliban removed anti-American slogans from the walls of the US Embassy in Kabul.
Several Afghan civil society groups have written to the Norwegian government protesting the handover of Afghanistan’s embassy in Oslo to the Taliban.
They argue the move violates Norway’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The letter states that this decision contradicts Norway’s international commitments. It also damages the trust and mental well-being of thousands of Afghan refugees living in the country.
On 20 March, Afghanistan International reported that Norway’s Foreign Ministry had recognised Najibullah Sherkhan, a Taliban diplomat, as First Secretary at the Afghan embassy in Oslo. This came despite the embassy’s official closure.
According to a letter from the ministry, Sherkhan was granted a one-year diplomatic residence permit. The document shows his appointment was accepted on 31 January 2025, following a request from the embassy. He has been advised to apply for an extension at least a month before it expires.
The day after this news, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry announced that consular services would resume at the embassy in Oslo on 24 March. It described this step as a positive development and posted the update on its official X account.
A Taliban official claimed Norway’s decision reflected growing normalisation of the group’s ties with Western countries.
The decision has triggered protests from 33 Afghan civil society and women’s rights groups. In a letter obtained by Afghanistan International, these organisations warned that allowing Taliban representatives to operate—under the guise of providing administrative services—would help legitimise the group internationally.
They called on the Norwegian government to create an alternative system for providing consular services to Afghan refugees. The groups also urged Norwegian officials to include the voices of Afghan women, civil society organisations, and the Afghan diaspora in decisions related to Afghanistan.
Previously, Norwegian officials have criticised the Taliban’s repression and restrictions on women in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune has reported that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) topped the agenda in recent talks between Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, and Taliban officials in Kabul.
Citing unnamed sources, the paper stated that the Afghan Taliban admitted they were unable to control the TTP. They reportedly said that if Pakistan, with its military strength, could not contain the group, it would be even harder for them to do so.
The Taliban also raised their own concerns about TTP activities and requested time and cooperation from Islamabad. However, Pakistani officials were not satisfied with these explanations. They urged the Taliban to take stronger action, or at least stop Afghan nationals from joining the group.
The meeting was part of a three-day visit by Sadiq Khan to Kabul, during which he held talks with Taliban ministers and senior officials. The newspaper reported that further ministerial-level talks are being planned.
On Sunday, during a Pakistan Day event at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, Khan said that both countries were economically interdependent. He stressed Pakistan’s commitment to a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with Afghanistan.
His visit came amid rising tensions between the two countries. These tensions have been fuelled by accusations of cross-border militancy, trade disruptions, and Pakistan’s deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country.
The Torkham border crossing, closed for 27 days due to a clash over Taliban construction near the border, has since reopened for trucks and patients. Pakistani authorities have said that undocumented Afghan refugees must leave the country by the end of March.
The Taliban have called on Pakistan to avoid harsh actions and allow refugees to return voluntarily.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has praised the Taliban for consolidating power across Afghanistan. He said, unlike in the past, the country is no longer divided among rival factions.
In an interview with Khabar Online, Araghchi stated that Afghanistan now has a central authority. He claimed that “sovereignty and security” exist, despite the continued presence of terrorist threats.
His remarks contrast with warnings from the UN Security Council and regional countries, including Iran, about the growing activities of terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The UN has reported that Al-Qaeda has safe houses and training camps across the country. It also warned that ISIS-Khorasan has expanded its recruitment and operations.
Despite Taliban claims of defeating ISIS, the group has carried out deadly attacks, including ones targeting senior Taliban leaders.
Araghchi acknowledged the terrorist threat but said that Tehran must engage with the Taliban to protect its national interests.
He highlighted several key issues, including terrorism, the protection of Shia communities, Iran’s cultural ties through the Persian language, and its water rights from the Helmand River.
“These are serious matters directly linked to our national interests,” he said.
Araghchi led a delegation to Kabul in January. His visit drew criticism from Iranian media, which accused Tehran of legitimising the Taliban.
In response, Araghchi clarified that Iran does not formally recognise the Taliban government. However, he noted that other countries, including China, Qatar, and Central Asian states, have also sent officials to Kabul.
He defended his trip as a necessary step to manage bilateral concerns and secure Iran’s interests.