Taliban Arrest Former Deputy Head Of Panjshir Ulema Council In Kabul

According to the commission’s figures, 19197 migrants entered Afghanistan via the Islam Qala border crossing, while another 8405 returned through the Pul-e-Abrisham crossing.

The commission also reported that 315 migrants returned from Pakistan through the Spin Boldak border crossing, 465 via Torkham, and 12 others through the Angur Ada border point.

An Iranian official stated on Tuesday that more than 717000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Iran since the start of the current solar Hijri year.

Nader Yarahmadi, head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Interior, said the deportations were carried out through three border crossings into Afghanistan.

He stressed that migrants without legal documentation must leave Iran.

Yarahmadi gave the precise number of deportees as 717658 and added that the deportation process is ongoing.

According to separate statements issued by the court, the men received between 20 and 39 lashes and were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to two years.

The floggings were reportedly carried out in the courtyards of the respective provincial courts, in the presence of local officials, court staff, and members of the public.

International human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, calling it a form of torture and a violation of international law. However, the Taliban continues to defend the practice, describing public floggings as part of the enforcement of “Islamic Sharia law.”

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has reinstated a number of punitive measures, including public executions, floggings, and amputations, despite international outcry.

According to figures released by the commission, 13324 individuals returned to Afghanistan via the Islam Qala border crossing, while 3289 crossed through the Pul-e-Abrisham border crossing.

The commission also stated that on the same day, 2010 migrant families re-entered the country through Islam Qala and 496 families through Pul-e-Abrisham.

In addition, the Taliban reported that 237 Afghan migrants returned from Pakistan through the Spin Boldak border crossing and another 255 via the Torkham crossing.

Iran and Pakistan have significantly increased deportations of undocumented Afghan nationals in recent months, citing security and legal concerns. Human rights groups have raised alarms over the conditions faced by deportees, many of whom lack access to basic services upon return.

According to Dawn newspaper, citing security sources, the militants were intercepted and killed during an intelligence-based operation in the mountainous Lowi Mamund area of Bajaur. The Pakistani military has not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.

Following the operation, security forces reportedly increased surveillance and patrols along the border to prevent further infiltration by militants based in Afghanistan.

Residents of the area said the clashes between security personnel and militants lasted for several hours. One child was reportedly injured during the fighting.

Separately, local sources reported heavy clashes between the army and TTP fighters in the Ghanam Shah Mamund area of Bajaur on the same day.

The TTP later confirmed the clashes in a statement, saying that Pakistani forces had attacked its hideouts, but claimed its fighters had managed to escape.

Cross-border attacks and militant infiltration from Afghanistan have been a growing concern for Islamabad, which has repeatedly urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to prevent TTP militants from using Afghan territory as a staging ground.

Liz Evenson, HRW’s director for international justice, said the warrants send an important signal that “repressive actions” will not go unpunished. “The international community should back the ICC in its critical work in Afghanistan and globally,” she added.

Evenson urged the prosecutor’s office to keep investigating alleged crimes by the Taliban, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), former Afghan security forces and United States military personnel to ensure justice for all victims.

HRW noted that meaningful justice is essential to breaking Afghanistan’s cycle of violence and impunity. Evenson said the ICC’s action should refocus global attention on the Taliban’s persecution of women, girls and people of diverse gender identities.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have been accused of imposing “gender apartheid” by barring women from education, work and public life, as well as carrying out arbitrary arrests and torture. In September 2023, HRW reported that Taliban authorities had committed crimes against humanity through gender-based persecution of Afghan women and girls.

The organisation says the Taliban have issued more than 100 decrees severely restricting women’s and girls’ rights, including freedom of movement, expression and assembly.