Taliban Morality Police Legitimate Target After Arrest Of Afghan Women, Declares AFF

According to the Interior Ministry, all individuals had been ordered to leave and were identified as having criminal records or being a threat to public security.

The group was flown from Leipzig Airport to Kabul on Friday via a Qatar Airways flight. This marks the first large-scale deportation of Afghan nationals under the new German government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The Interior Ministry said the action is part of the government’s coalition agreement, which prioritises the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes or deemed dangerous. Officials stressed that public safety remains the top priority in implementing the policy.

German media reported that the deportees were transported to Leipzig Airport in several buses, with at least one individual reportedly restrained with leg shackles.

Under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany carried out a similar deportation in which 28 Afghan nationals with criminal records were returned to Afghanistan.

Separately, German politician Alexander Dobrindt recently stated he is open to negotiating with "those in charge" in Afghanistan to facilitate further deportations of Afghan criminals.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Berlin maintains only technical-level contact with the Taliban and has no formal diplomatic relations with the group.

Dar made the remarks during a meeting in Kabul with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister. According to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, the talks focused on three key issues: regional security, counter-narcotics efforts, and the development of cross-border economic initiatives.

Dar stressed that sustainable regional growth cannot be achieved without addressing security threats and improving coordination at the borders. He also highlighted the importance of closer security cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The meeting coincided with the signing of a feasibility study agreement for the Trans-Afghan railway project, a joint initiative between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. Officials from all three countries have stated that the success of the railway, intended to boost regional trade and connectivity, depends on long-term stability along the proposed transit routes.

In a separate meeting, Haqqani met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov and Transport Minister Ilhom Makhkamov to discuss progress on the railway project. The Taliban’s Interior Ministry said the two sides also explored ways to expand political, economic, and cultural ties between Kabul and Tashkent.

Saidov noted that trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan has nearly tripled over the past year. He also reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s support for Afghanistan’s participation in international forums, assistance in resolving the Afghan migrant crisis, and efforts to unfreeze the country’s central bank assets.

The signatories described the ongoing expulsions as part of a “deliberate project of exclusion and repression,” warning that refugees, migrants, and Iranian citizens of Afghan descent are once again being made scapegoats amid rising political tensions.

The statement argues that, under the guise of regulating undocumented foreigners, Iranian authorities are engaged in efforts to erase marginalised communities, suppress dissent, and reinforce national and gender-based hierarchies.

Particular concern is raised for Afghan women, who are described as among the most at-risk groups. The activists note that many Afghan women in Iran are the sole breadwinners for their families and live without stable legal protections. Deporting them, they warn, will return them to a country where women are barred from working and have no viable means to support themselves or their children.

The statement also highlights the plight of girls born and raised in Iran who are now being returned to Afghanistan, where access to education for girls is currently banned under Taliban rule.

The signatories argue that deportation in this context is not simply a matter of physical relocation but constitutes “exile, homelessness, and, in some cases, direct threats to life.”

Calling for urgent action, the activists urged civil society organisations, academics, journalists, and artists not to remain silent in the face of what they described as the “systematic expulsion of the other.”

In recent weeks, Iran has significantly increased the pace of deportations of undocumented Afghan migrants, particularly following the ceasefire with Israel. While Iranian authorities have framed the move as a plan to “organise undocumented foreigners,” international organisations have described the situation as a growing humanitarian crisis.

The agreement was signed between the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways during a ceremony held in Kabul. The event was attended by the foreign ministers of all three parties.

On Thursday, the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Pakistan arrived in Kabul to finalise and formalise the agreement.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, said the project represents more than a mere transit route, describing it as a foundational move toward a broader strategic partnership.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar noted that the agreement, reached after extensive negotiations, is intended to connect Central Asia to Pakistani ports via Afghanistan. He emphasised that the railway would establish a new corridor for the transit of goods between Central and South Asia, fostering regional trade and promoting economic development.

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, announced on Thursday that a man identified as Abdul Alim Khamoosh, a resident of Janikhel district, was arrested and sentenced by a primary court for allegedly insulting the Prophet of Islam and Islamic sanctities.

Khyber stated that the sentence followed an investigation by the court, which determined that the accused had committed a serious offence under the group’s interpretation of Islamic law.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the spokesperson referred to the offence as a “major sin,” stating that insulting religious values, weakening the spiritual unity of the Islamic community, and violating Sharia boundaries are considered severe crimes by the Taliban.

The group has not released further details regarding the judicial process, evidence presented, or whether the defendant had access to legal representation. The verdict has raised renewed concerns among rights groups over the use of capital punishment and the lack of transparency in the Taliban's legal system.