Iranian Media Express Concern Over Growing Taliban-Azerbaijan Ties

Habibi's family has long claimed that he is being held in Taliban custody. However, in a statement issued Thursday, 3 July, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that an internal investigation, conducted at the request of the family, found no evidence that Habibi had been arrested by any Taliban-affiliated agency.

The United States has recently offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, recovery, and return of Habibi. The offer was announced under the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme.

Mujahid stated that all Taliban departments, including the General Directorate of Intelligence, are committed to upholding detainees' rights and are obligated to refer all detainees to judicial authorities within a defined timeframe. He rejected US allegations that the Taliban’s intelligence agency is involved in Habibi’s disappearance.

Habibi previously served as head of the Civil Aviation Authority and later worked with the Asia Consultancy Group, a telecommunications firm in Kabul. He remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 but was reportedly arrested just four days after returning from a trip abroad.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the Taliban may have accused Habibi of collaborating with the CIA in locating Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former leader of al-Qaeda, who was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan district days before Habibi’s disappearance.

In recent months, Adam Boehler, a former senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on hostage affairs, visited Kabul and held talks with Taliban officials regarding the release of Habibi and other American detainees. Following these negotiations, the Taliban released two American citizens, though Habibi’s fate remains unknown.

Other Americans previously held and later released by the Taliban include Ryan Corbett, William McEntee, George Glezmann and Faye Hall. Taliban officials have stated that foreign detainees held in the past were allowed regular contact with their families.

Mehdi Rajabi, the political and security deputy of the Taybad governor’s office, told local media that the volume of deportations has surged in recent days. He said 21050 Afghan migrants were returned to Afghanistan on 1 July alone, a figure he described as unprecedented.

Rajabi stated that the final deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country is 6 July, adding that deportations will increase over the next three days.

He also said that many undocumented migrants have recently been transferred to holding camps in Hasanabad, in Shandiz district, and Sefid Sang, in Fariman, where they undergo legal exit procedures before being sent to the border.

According to Rajabi, around 250 buses are being used daily to transport Afghan migrants from across Iran to the Dogharoun border crossing, which lies in northeastern Iran near the city of Taybad.

They also call for an end discriminatory policies targeting Afghan migrants.

The letter condemns Iran’s treatment of Afghan refugees as “inhumane” and “brutal,” citing arbitrary arrests, detentions, and deportationsincluding of individuals with valid legal documentation which have triggered fear and despair within the Afghan community.

“These days, we are witnessing news and images of how these people are being treated, searched and deported by the government and our only response is shame, anger and outcry,” the signatories wrote.

The statement urges Iranian citizens to speak out against the mistreatment of Afghan migrants, warning that public silence may be perceived as tacit approval of such actions.

The authors also expressed alarm at the sharp rise in anti-Afghan sentiment across Iran in recent months, noting that this hostility has intensified since the onset of the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. They allege that the Islamic Republic has escalated its crackdown on Afghan refugees in the aftermath of the war.

The appeal comes amid a growing humanitarian crisis, as tens of thousands of Afghans have been deported from Iran in recent weeks. Human rights organisations and international agencies continue to raise concerns about the treatment of Afghan migrants and the lack of protections afforded to them in host countries.

The arrests follow clashes that began on 30 June, after Taliban units attempted to destroy local poppy fields. The operation was met with resistance from residents, sparking violent confrontations.

Sources at a local hospital in Badakhshan said six people, including a woman, were killed by Taliban gunfire on Monday, while another person died on Tuesday. At least 27 others were wounded during the unrest.

Local residents reported that most of those arrested were village elders and community representatives who had participated in the demonstrations. The detainees have reportedly been transferred by helicopter to Faizabad, the provincial capital.

According to sources, the market in Khash remains closed, and civilians are being subjected to harassment by Taliban forces. However, the Taliban have not yet issued an official statement regarding the arrests or the broader incident.

The Khash clashes mark one of the most serious episodes of unrest in Badakhshan since the Taliban’s return to power, highlighting ongoing tensions over poppy eradication efforts and local grievances against Taliban rule.

In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, 2 July, the UNFPA announced it is providing critical maternal health and psychosocial support services to returnees at key border crossings. The agency said these services are available 24/7 to address the urgent needs of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also warned of the growing humanitarian pressure caused by the influx of returnees. It said thousands of Afghans are returning from neighbouring countries despite Afghanistan’s ongoing economic and political crisis.

The UNHCR has appealed for increased international funding to provide essential support, including food, shelter and healthcare, to those returning under difficult circumstances.