US Engages With Taliban Over Terror Threats, Hostage Releases

Ahmadreza Haeri, who is currently serving his sentence at the facility, made the allegation in an open letter addressed to Iran’s judiciary chief. He claimed the inmate, Nabi Bayati, died after being denied medical care during a hunger strike and described the case as an example of “systematic killing.”

In the letter, published on Wednesday, Haeri revealed that Bayati died after a hunger strike in protest against what he described as degrading treatment. He reportedly received no medical attention before his death.

Haeri stated that Bayati, along with three other prisoners, had been accused of involvement in a fight and was first placed in solitary confinement in a cell known as “the closed door.” He was then transferred to Unit 1 of Ghezel Hesar, one of the most overcrowded and volatile sections of the prison.

Haeri claimed the transfer of foreign nationals to Unit 1 violates internal prison regulations, and Bayati viewed the move as both “unjust and insulting.” According to the letter, Bayati warned prison staff that if he was not removed from Unit 1, he would begin a dry hunger strike and refuse even water.

In a disturbing detail, Haeri quoted the unit’s deputy as mockingly responding to Bayati’s threat with, “At worst, you’ll die, who cares!” Following the exchange, Bayati was reportedly relocated to the hallway of Ward 9, a high-traffic area used for inmate movement.

Four days later, Bayati died alone. Haeri insists the death was not natural and should be regarded as a “killing,” citing gross mismanagement and neglect by prison authorities.

“I have repeatedly warned that the management structure of Ghezel Hesar especially in the area of healthcare is in crisis and deeply flawed,” Haeri wrote. “This structural disorder has paved the way for tragedies like what happened to Nabi Bayati.”

Haeri also criticised the judiciary for failing to send a representative to investigate the death. “This indifference, in effect, amounts to the endorsement of an inmate’s killing,” he added.

He further noted that not only were legal protocols for handling hunger strikes ignored, but Bayati’s basic human rights were also violated. Haeri stressed that he was an eyewitness to the entire incident.

The detainees include Sayed Munir Hadaf, director of Tasweer Weekly and head of the National Journalists’ Union of Takhar; Asadullah Timur, a local reporter; and Nasratullah Ebrahimi, a journalist with Ariana News.

Sources told Afghanistan International on Wednesday, 7 May, that the journalists were arrested two days earlier and transferred to prison by Taliban authorities. The arrests reportedly followed a chain of events stemming from an incident involving Timur.

According to the information provided, Timur had a verbal altercation with a tailor and was later threatened at gunpoint. He subsequently shared the incident on social media. The tailor in question is said to be the personal tailor of the Taliban’s intelligence chief.

Following the post, the Taliban’s criminal investigation department, allegedly acting on the orders of the intelligence chief, summoned Timur for questioning before detaining him.

Sources further report that Sayed Munir Hadaf and later Nasratullah Ebrahimi visited Taliban offices in an attempt to secure Timur’s release but were also detained. All three journalists were reportedly subjected to torture while in custody at the Taliban’s criminal investigation department. Their cases may now be handed over to the Taliban’s intelligence agency.

Despite repeated claims by Taliban officials that they respect press freedom, watchdog groups remain highly critical of the regime’s treatment of journalists. Amnesty International and other rights organisations have consistently raised alarms over the increasing threats, arrests, and violence targeting media personnel in Afghanistan.

According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries, with a score of just 17.88 reflecting a severely restricted media environment under Taliban rule.

Previously, Afghan drivers were allowed to enter using a Temporary Admission Document (TAD), a one-year entry permit issued to facilitate trade and accommodate those lacking formal travel documentation, particularly individuals with tribal affiliations spanning both sides of the border.

New notices posted at the Torkham border crossing state that, from the end of May, all Afghan nationals must present both a valid passport and visa to enter and reside in Pakistan. The shift marks the end of entry arrangements that had enabled many Afghan drivers to work without standard travel documents.

The change comes despite earlier efforts to boost bilateral trade by easing border procedures for Afghan drivers. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, citing border officials, the temporary entry permits will no longer be issued or renewed.

In response to the policy shift, a delegation of local traders and drivers met with the Taliban’s consul in Peshawar, requesting that discussions be held with Pakistani authorities to reconsider or extend the previous entry system.

In a post on the social media platform X, Bennett stressed the importance of the issue, warning that equating Pashtun identity with support for the Taliban or assuming safety under Taliban rule is “false, discriminatory, and harmful.”

His remarks come in response to a report by the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, which claimed that following a series of violent incidents involving Afghan nationals in Germany last year, Switzerland’s migration office had proposed a controversial plan to deport asylum seekers of Pashtun ethnicity to Afghanistan.

Reacting to the report, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration told Afghanistan International that it does not make distinctions based on ethnicity when assessing deportation cases. The office confirmed that deportation based on ethnic background has never been part of its policy.

The issue has sparked renewed concern among rights advocates and refugee communities, who warn against the dangers of ethnic profiling in European migration policy.

The announcement was made during Al Ketbi’s meeting on Tuesday with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. A statement from Baradar’s office noted that the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral relations, with a particular focus on economic cooperation.

According to the Taliban, Al Ketbi also expressed the UAE’s interest in developing infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including railways and roads, a key priority for the Taliban regime as it seeks foreign investment to boost the country’s struggling economy.

The Taliban have frequently reported expressions of interest from regional countries in Afghanistan’s infrastructure and investment sectors. However, concrete details or timelines for the launch of such projects have yet to be disclosed.