Over 800 NGOs Currently Operating Across Afghanistan, Says Taliban

In a brief statement posted on X, the embassy said the purpose of Jalali’s visit is to expand health-related collaboration. No further details about the visit have been released.

In March, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health said in a press release that Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s ambassador in Kabul, had announced that Iran would soon resume construction of two hospitals in Kabul and Bamiyan.

Jalali has previously criticised the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran.

The Taliban health minister has described the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from both Pakistan and Iran as a sign of those countries’ fear of Afghanistan’s progress. He said Afghan migrants face harassment, mistreatment and confiscation of their property in both countries.

In a speech during Eid al-Adha at the presidential palace on Saturday, Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund called on opponents including those who had worked with the Americans to return to Afghanistan. He claimed that the Taliban has declared a general amnesty and does not intend to harm anyone.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy for Afghanistan, described Akhund’s message as a positive step.

Koofi, however, stressed that many former officials particularly former security personnel who have returned to Afghanistan have faced arrest, torture or execution. She said there is credible evidence of targeted killings of returning former security forces.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has confirmed killings of former military personnel.

In a report published in May 2024, UNAMA stated that despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty, the group continues to arrest, torture and kill employees and soldiers of the former government. Over a three-month period, UNAMA documented 38 cases of arbitrary detention, 10 cases of torture and mistreatment, and at least four extrajudicial killings of former government personnel.

The Taliban has denied such reports, dismissing them as propaganda.

The US State Department has also expressed concern over the Taliban’s retaliatory actions against former Afghan security forces.

Taliban officials maintain that the war ended with their takeover of Afghanistan and that security has been restored. The group has established a commission to invite opponents to return to the country. However, no major political figures have accepted the invitation. Aside from Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah leaders of the former government who remained in Kabul most prominent non-Taliban political figures remain in exile.

Political opponents of the Taliban have repeatedly stated that the group is not genuinely interested in dialogue or reconciliation, but is instead seeking allegiance. They have emphasised that under no circumstances will they pledge allegiance to the Taliban.

This marks the Taliban’s first public response to Trump’s decision to bar entry to citizens of 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The order is due to take effect on Monday.

In his Eid al-Adha speech on Saturday, Akhundzada said: “Citizens of 12 countries have been banned from entering America, and Afghans are also not allowed. Why? Because they claim the Afghan government doesn’t have control over its people. So, O oppressor! Is this what you call friendship with humanity?”

He linked the US travel ban to Washington’s role in global conflicts, accusing the United States of responsibility for the deaths of women and children in Gaza.

Criticising those who seek closer ties with Washington, Akhundzada said: “Some people are pleased with friendship with America and consider it a success.” He described the US as the “great oppressor,” claiming that “what it is doing today in Palestine is the same as what it did yesterday in Afghanistan.”

His remarks come as the Taliban continues to seek formal recognition and diplomatic relations with the United States. Taliban officials have repeatedly urged Washington to recognise their government.

Background on the Travel Ban

Trump defended the travel ban which covers nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan as a measure to protect US citizens “from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”

His administration argued that Afghanistan lacks a credible central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and does not have an adequate system for screening visa applicants.

According to the New York Post, one reason cited for the ban is the high rate at which Afghan nationals overstay their visas in the United States.

Although the ban includes certain exceptions for Afghans who worked with US forces, Trump suspended a key refugee resettlement programme in January, effectively halting support for thousands of Afghans who had cooperated with the United States leaving many in legal limbo and with no clear path forward.

The Taliban command in Paktia stated that the campaign to collect aid for the “oppressed and displaced people” of Gaza would continue. In a statement, it said: “The faithful people of Afghanistan consider themselves partners in the sorrow and grief of the oppressed people of Gaza.”

According to the Taliban, similar financial and humanitarian donations for Gaza have been collected in other parts of Afghanistan. However, the group did not clarify the mechanism or process for collecting and distributing the aid.

Several business owners in various provinces have previously reported that armed Taliban fighters forcibly collected money from them under the pretext of helping Gaza.

The Taliban’s fundraising efforts come as international organisations warn of a worsening hunger crisis in Afghanistan.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) announced on Thursday that about 20 percent of Afghan children approximately five million are facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that nearly 23 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian assistance. According to the agency, one in three Afghans does not know where their next meal will come from.

Meanwhile, several Islamic countries, marking Eid al-Adha, have announced that they will send sacrificial meat to support vulnerable people in Afghanistan. According to international organisations, since the Taliban took power nearly four years ago, poverty, unemployment and hunger have steadily worsened across the country.

The Taliban had earlier announced plans to develop renewable energy projects in the province, including the generation of 43.2 megawatts of wind power and five megawatts of solar power.

According to the report, the first phase will see the construction of a plant with a capacity of 43.2 megawatts, as part of a broader plan to eventually produce a total of 200 megawatts of wind power.

Emre Unal, commercial attaché at the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, said Turkish companies have invested around $7 billion in Afghanistan to date. He noted that this project marks the first time wind turbine technology is being introduced into Afghanistan by a Turkish company.

Unal added that Türkiye’s positive image among the Afghan population, trust in the quality of Turkish goods and engineering, and economic advantages including a young workforce and low business startup costs had created favourable conditions for expanding bilateral investment.

The Taliban officially launched the Herat wind power project on Saturday, 31 May, in a ceremony attended by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s deputy prime minister. During the event, Baradar stated that the Taliban seeks to protect the environment by investing in renewable energy.