Killed Two Taliban Fighters In Takhar, Says AFF
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed responsibility for an attack on a vehicle carrying Taliban fighters in the capital of Takhar province, saying two members of the group were killed.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed responsibility for an attack on a vehicle carrying Taliban fighters in the capital of Takhar province, saying two members of the group were killed.
In a statement released on Sunday, the AFF said the attack took place at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday in the main square of Taloqan city.
Local sources in Takhar confirmed to Afghanistan International that an explosion was heard in the city on Saturday night, consistent with the timing of the reported attack.
The Taliban have not yet issued a statement regarding the explosion or the AFF’s claim. Independent verification of the casualties has not been made available.
Jason Criss Howk, president of the Global Friends of Afghanistan (GFA), has criticised the National Resistance Front (NRF) for its recent statements condemning Israeli strikes on Iran. He accused the group of aligning with a regime he described as “anti-Western terrorists.”
In a LinkedIn post published on Sunday, 15 June, Howk said the NRF “never misses an opportunity to betray US military veterans” and warned that siding with Tehran could cost the group support in the West.
“If the NRF wants to be friends with the Iranian terror regime… they do so at the cost of being lumped into their terrorist puppet ranks,” he wrote.
Howk argued that the Islamic Republic of Iran represents exactly what the Taliban aspire to become and held the regime responsible for the deaths of thousands of US service members. He also denounced Iran’s record on human rights, saying it represses and kills its own citizens, particularly women who stand up for their rights.
His remarks came in response to a statement issued by the NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, in which the group condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran and called the killing of senior Iranian officials an “act of aggression” and a violation of international law.
Trade between Iran and Afghanistan has been disrupted as cargo truck crossings at the shared border have been halted, sources told Afghanistan International, following rising tensions between Iran and Israel.
Ahmad Zia Shinozada, a member of Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that commercial goods have not been permitted to pass through the border since the previous day.
“The movement of cargo trucks has stopped, and goods are no longer crossing between the two countries,” Shinozada said.
According to Shinozada, annual trade between Iran and Afghanistan has reached approximately five billion dollars since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Neither the Taliban nor Iranian officials have issued public statements regarding the closure or its expected duration.
A Kenyan court has granted former Afghan lawmaker Zahir Qadir a one-month extension to file an appeal against an extradition order to the United States, sources close to the case told Afghanistan International.
Qadir, a former deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s House of Representatives, was arrested in Nairobi on 18 April while travelling from Qatar to Kenya. He is wanted by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to possess illegal weapons.
Sources familiar with the matter said Qadir’s legal team had secured the extension to allow time to prepare a defence. “The lawyers have obtained a one-month window from the court and intend to submit documents and video evidence to refute the accusations,” one source said on Saturday, 14 June.
On 25 May, Qadir’s family had told Afghanistan International that his lawyer had already filed an appeal, expressing hope the court would overturn the extradition order, allow Qadir to return to Afghanistan, and halt his transfer to the US.
While the lawyer had also requested a temporary suspension of the extradition ruling, the judge rejected the request, stating that the appeal could proceed without delaying enforcement of the sentence.
The Nairobi court had previously ruled in favour of extraditing Qadir to the United States, where he faces charges related to drug trafficking and the illegal possession and transfer of heavy weapons.
The Taliban has indicated interest in the case, with acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi assuring Qadir’s family that the group would follow up “within its capacity.” The family has since renewed calls for Taliban intervention to secure his release.
Qadir’s arrest was based on a US warrant issued on 25 March. He has remained in Kenyan police custody pending the outcome of the appeal process.
An Afghan man residing in Oklahoma has pleaded guilty to plotting a terrorist attack targeting large crowds on US Election Day, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, admitted to planning the attack with an accomplice, Abdullah Haji Zada, with the intent to carry out a mass-casualty assault on 5 November. According to federal prosecutors, Tawhedi purchased two rifles and 10 magazines in preparation for the attack, which was allegedly inspired by support for the Islamic State (ISIS).
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement that Tawhedi “endangered lives and gravely betrayed the nation that gave him refuge.”
“By pledging allegiance to ISIS and plotting an attack against innocent Americans on Election Day, this defendant endangered lives and gravely betrayed the nation that gave him refuge,” Bondi said. She confirmed that Tawhedi would face legal accountability, have his immigration status revoked, and be permanently removed from the United States following his sentence.
She added that the Department of Justice “has zero tolerance for those who exploit our freedoms to spread violence.”
Tawhedi now faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison. His accomplice, Haji Zada, could face up to 15 years, according to officials. The Department of Justice said that upon completing their prison terms, both men will be deported and permanently barred from re-entering the United States.
Tawhedi was arrested by the FBI last year. According to the indictment, he entered the US in 2021 under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme, intended for Afghans who supported US government efforts in Afghanistan.
FBI documents reveal that Tawhedi had viewed ISIS propaganda and made donations to a charity believed to be a front for funnelling funds to the terrorist organisation. Authorities said his actions were intended to support ISIS’s extremist goals on a high-profile date meant to maximise public impact.
Nader Yarahmadi, head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said that from March 2024 to March 2025, a total of 1,579 foreign national children were deported from Iran along with their families.
According to Iranian state media, Yarahmadi confirmed that deportation efforts targeting child labourers, many of whom are Afghan, will persist. He also stated that among 937 immigrant children permitted to remain in Iran with their families, authorities have secured written pledges ensuring they will no longer be involved in street begging.
Iranian officials often refer to Afghan migrants as “foreign nationals,” though Afghans make up the overwhelming majority of the country’s immigrant child labour population. Last year, Ali Kazemi, secretary of Iran’s National Body on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, reported that 85 percent of child labourers in Tehran were Afghan.
The continued expulsion of Afghan child labourers comes amid a broader surge in deportations from both Iran and Pakistan, creating significant humanitarian and logistical challenges for Afghanistan. Despite these difficulties, the Taliban has maintained cooperation with the Iranian government on migrant repatriation.
Human rights groups have criticised the mass deportations, citing risks to children’s safety and well-being upon return to Afghanistan, where living conditions remain precarious due to ongoing conflict, economic collapse, and restricted access to education and services.