Air Traffic Over Afghanistan Increases Fivefold Amid Iran-Israel Tensions

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture said Minister Attaullah Omari met with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy on the sidelines of the Russia 2025 Economic Forum to discuss potential collaboration on water infrastructure.

Omari praised Russia’s experience in dam construction and requested technical and engineering support to develop Afghanistan’s water resources. The two officials reportedly discussed deploying Russian engineers to assess project feasibility and the exchange of expertise on modern irrigation systems.

The Russian deputy minister reportedly expressed his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Taliban and confirmed that technical teams would be dispatched to Afghanistan to evaluate the proposed projects.

In addition to infrastructure, Omari appealed for Russian assistance in bolstering Afghanistan’s food security, specifically in supplying wheat to address ongoing shortages.

Relations between Moscow and the Taliban have grown steadily since Russia removed the group from its list of terrorist organisations. Taliban officials have increasingly participated in diplomatic and economic forums held in Russian cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan.

In a statement issued on Saturday, 21 June, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed the report sought to create unnecessary concern and portray a negative image of Afghanistan. He asserted that security across the country is better than before and that citizens are living “peacefully” under the Taliban’s rule.

Mujahid accused the United Nations and other international institutions of consistently ignoring what he described as progress in Afghanistan. He argued that minor incidents are exaggerated in such reports and that ordinary criminal acts are wrongly categorised as security threats.

“The people should not pay attention to the propaganda of malicious circles,” Mujahid said, claiming that Afghanistan is now safer than many other countries and that over two million people travelled for leisure during the Eid al-Adha holidays.

The Taliban’s response follows Guterres’ strongly worded report, released on Thursday, 19 June, in which he warned that the Taliban’s restrictive policies have deepened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis. The Secretary-General highlighted rising poverty, unemployment, natural disasters, and what he termed an “oppressive regime.”

He expressed particular concern over the impact of Taliban-enforced rules such as those imposed by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on women and girls. Guterres also noted that declining levels of international aid have worsened conditions for millions of Afghan families.

The report cited ongoing media restrictions, arbitrary arrests of journalists, and credible reports of torture and extrajudicial executions as violations of the Taliban’s promise of a general amnesty.

“The Afghan people cannot confront these crises alone,” Guterres stated, calling on the international community to remain engaged and to increase support for Afghanistan’s population.

Muhammad Younus Mohmand, First Deputy of the Taliban-run Chamber of Commerce and Investment, made the remarks in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti during a Taliban delegation’s visit to St. Petersburg.

“We have always had good and friendly relations with Russia,” Mohmand said, adding that they hope to see leading Russian companies expand their operations in Afghanistan. He noted that several Russian firms are already active in the country.

“Russia is not a new partner for Afghanistan; our relationship goes back nearly 100 years,” he added.

The Taliban delegation, led by Agriculture Minister Attaullah Omari, is attending the 2025 Russian Economic Forum, which began on 18 June and runs through 21 June. According to Taliban officials, key topics at the forum include the environment, agriculture, trade, industry, investment, and knowledge exchange.

Relations between Russia and the Taliban have grown closer since Moscow removed the group from its list of banned organisations. High-level Taliban officials, including Abdul Ghani Baradar and Amir Khan Muttaqi, have made several visits to Russia in recent months.

Analysts say the Kremlin views the Taliban as a useful partner in countering ISIS and limiting Western influence in the region.

According to the Security Council’s agenda, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, is scheduled to brief the council. She is expected to outline the next steps in the Doha process, an initiative launched in May 2023 aimed at developing a coordinated international approach to engagement with the Taliban.

The meeting will also feature statements from Joyce Msuya, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.

The upcoming session is expected to centre on the Taliban’s restrictive and discriminatory policies, particularly their impact on Afghan women and girls, which have been widely condemned by the international community.

As part of the Doha process, two working groups, one on counter-narcotics and another on private sector development, are scheduled to convene in Doha on 30 June and 1 July. These meetings will bring together experts, representatives of member states, international organisations, financial institutions, and the Taliban.

In previous Security Council sessions, member states have expressed deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, especially regarding the erosion of women’s rights and civil liberties.

According to the commission, a total of 5412 Afghan nationals were returned; 4,440 from Iran and 972 from Pakistan. The returnees re-entered Afghanistan through the Pul-e-Abrisham, Islam Qala, Angoor Ada, Spin Boldak, and Torkham border crossings.

The announcement has sparked fresh concern from international human rights groups. On World Refugee Day, several organisations criticised the ongoing deportations and urged both countries to halt the forced return of Afghan nationals.

Amnesty International called on the Pakistani government to immediately stop deportations and to extend the residency permits of Afghan refugees. The organisation warned that many returnees face the risk of human rights violations, including harassment and persecution by the Taliban upon their return to Afghanistan.