United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi arrived in Kabul on Saturday for meetings with Taliban officials to assess the situation of Afghan migrants who have been forcibly deported from neighbouring countries.
The visit comes amid a sharp rise in deportations from Iran and Pakistan, which have returned nearly two million Afghans over the past seven months, according to international reports.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said its Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration, Kaleem-ur-Rahman Fani, welcomed Grandi at Kabul International Airport. The two officials held discussions on the conditions of returnees and the broader challenges surrounding the deportation process.
Taliban officials emphasised the immediate and long-term needs of returnees, including access to emergency assistance, healthcare, education, and shelter.
The UN has raised increasing concern over the mass deportations, warning of the humanitarian and human rights implications, particularly for vulnerable groups.
The visit by the UN refugee chief follows broader international calls for the suspension of forced returns, citing instability and lack of basic services in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Mohebullah Mirzad Bandari, a former commander aligned with Abdul Rashid Dostum and a former member of the Faryab Provincial Council, was killed in an armed attack by unidentified gunmen in the city of Maimana, sources told Afghanistan International.
The incident occurred on the evening of Friday near the centre of Maimana, the capital of Faryab province. According to local sources, the attackers opened fire on Bandari and fled the scene immediately after the shooting.
Bandari had recently returned to Afghanistan through the Taliban’s Commission for the Return of Expatriates. He had been residing in Ghor province in recent months but travelled to Faryab last week at the invitation of the Taliban governor.
Following the fall of the former Afghan government in 2021, Bandari had fled to Iran. He later returned to the country through the Taliban’s formal repatriation programme.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the assassination. Further details about the incident remain unavailable.
The Iran-Afghanistan Friendship Association has called for an immediate halt to the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran, expressing concern over the treatment of returnees and urging authorities to uphold human dignity.
In a statement released this week, the non-governmental organisation criticised the methods used in the ongoing deportation process, warning that media reports and testimonies from affected migrants present a troubling picture. The association said the treatment of Afghan nationals does not align with principles of human dignity, nor with Islamic and revolutionary values.
The Iran-Afghanistan Friendship Association operates formally within Iran and has long advocated for stronger cultural and social ties between the two countries.
In recent months, the Islamic Republic of Iran has significantly increased the deportation of Afghan nationals. The surge in removals, which escalated following the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, has become one of the most extensive waves of forced returns in recent years. Rights groups and international observers have raised alarm over the scale and speed of the expulsions.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan Richard Bennett has criticised the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, saying countries abandon their legal and moral obligations.
In a post published Friday on X (formerly Twitter), Bennett warned of a growing global human rights crisis, noting that large numbers of Afghans, including asylum seekers, have been forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan. He also raised concerns about the risk of deportations from other countries.
Bennett urged governments involved in the removals to reverse course and uphold their international responsibilities.
Mass deportations from Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries have intensified in recent months, raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis. According to international organisations, nearly two million Afghan migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan in the first half of 2025.
Germany has also resumed deportations. On Friday, a Qatar Airways flight transported 81 Afghan asylum seekers from Germany to Kabul, marking one of the latest returns under Berlin’s revised immigration policy.
UN human rights experts condemned the deportations from Iran, Pakistan, and other countries, describing them as violations of international law and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they face serious threats to life or freedom.
In a statement issued Friday, the experts said more than 1.9 million Afghans had been forcibly returned in the first six months of the year. Of those, over 1.5 million were deported from Iran and more than 300,000 from Pakistan.
The statement warned that returnees, particularly women, girls, minority groups, former government officials, and human rights defenders, face significant risks of persecution, violence, and abuse under Taliban rule.
The Taliban has forcibly displaced more than 100 families in Ghor province’s Dawlatyar district, amid an ongoing tribal land dispute, local sources told Afghanistan International.
According to eyewitness accounts, Taliban fighters used armed force over the past two days to evict residents from the Keshro valley, targeting families in the villages of Sang-e Shura, Darwaza, Dahane Ghori, Jireh Gak, Narmtab, and Hajiabad.
Local sources said villagers held a protest on Friday, after being ordered to leave their homes without due process. They reported that most of the displaced families were members of the Taymani tribe, who have long-standing land disputes with the Khanzada tribe, also known as Sardar Khel.
The conflict reportedly escalated after Ahmad Shah Din Dost, the former Taliban governor of Ghor, issued a ruling last year under the pretext of resolving the dispute. The decision required Taymani residents to vacate their homes and surrender their property to the Sardar Khel tribe.
Din Dost, currently serving as commander of the Taliban’s 205 Al-Badr Army Corps, is accused of deploying armed fighters to forcefully expel residents from the area. Local sources said Taliban forces previously carried out similar forced evictions in Jireh Gak and Hajiabad following Din Dost’s ruling.
Local council reports estimate that roughly 600 families reside in the six affected villages.
A source familiar with the matter said Din Dost holds a personal grudge against the Taymani tribe, who had resisted Taliban forces, particularly his faction, during the previous government and inflicted significant casualties.
Sources also claim that the Taliban's provincial council of religious scholars in Ghor issued a ruling last year calling for the land to be divided between the two tribes. However, Din Dost allegedly rejected the decision and instead ordered the entire area be awarded to the Sardar Khel tribe.
Reports suggest the dispute may have been influenced by personal ties: one of Din Dost’s wives is reportedly from the Sardar Khel tribe in the Keshro valley.
According to local accounts, the conflict between the Taymani and Sardar Khel tribes has already resulted in dozens of deaths. Among the victims was a Taymani elder, Senator Ahmad Khan, who was reportedly killed after the Taliban came to power, a killing attributed by sources to members of the Sardar Khel tribe.
Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister, has announced that he held the “first political consultations” with the Taliban during his recent visit to Kabul.
He emphasised Uzbekistan’s continued support for Afghanistan’s deeper integration into regional and global processes that promote peace, stability, and development.
On Thursday, Saidov shared photos of his meetings with senior Taliban officials, including Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and the group’s Prime Minister, Mullah Hassan Akhund.
Saidov said the political consultations took place during his meeting with the Taliban’s foreign minister, though he did not provide further details. He reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s commitment to regional connectivity, shared water management, economic cooperation, educational support, and the cultural revival of Afghanistan.
Security Cooperation
During his Kabul visit, the Uzbek foreign minister held separate meetings with Taliban leaders. In his meeting with Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Saidov said the two sides discussed growing cooperation in the fields of security, law enforcement, and regional stability. While he did not elaborate, he acknowledged concerns over the infiltration of extremist groups and drug trafficking, particularly along the country's 144-kilometre shared border.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Saidov said he commended the Taliban’s Interior Ministry for “significant improvements” in Afghanistan’s overall security situation and efforts to combat drug production.
Economic Cooperation
Expanding economic ties was another major focus of Saidov’s visit. He confirmed that he discussed trade, humanitarian cooperation, and economic engagement with Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund.
Saidov highlighted the signing of the Trans-Afghan Railway feasibility study agreement between Uzbekistan, the Taliban, and Pakistan, calling it a vital step toward Afghanistan’s regional integration. The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry previously confirmed that the agreement had been signed by the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways.
Amir Khan Muttaqi described the project as more than a transit corridor, calling it one of the first steps toward strategic connectivity. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also attended the signing, said the agreement, linking Central Asia to Pakistani ports via Afghanistan, was the outcome of intensive negotiations and sustained engagement.
Dar noted that the proposed Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway is expected to create a new corridor for trade between Central and South Asia, significantly contributing to regional commerce and economic growth.
Saidov also stated that Uzbekistan is prepared to strengthen cooperation with Afghanistan in infrastructure, transport, energy, and education. He added that Afghanistan should serve as a bridge between Central and South Asia.
Invitation to Taliban Prime Minister
Hamidullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban administration, provided additional details of the meeting between Saidov and Mullah Hassan Akhund on X.
According to Fitrat, the Uzbek foreign minister extended a formal invitation to the Taliban prime minister to visit Uzbekistan. Citing Saidov, he added that hundreds of meetings have already taken place between Uzbekistan and the Taliban, reflecting strong ties between the two sides.
The Taliban prime minister was quoted as saying that Uzbekistan understands problems are best resolved through dialogue and engagement, and has therefore adopted a “constructive approach” to its relationship with the Taliban.
Despite deepening political and economic ties, Tashkent has not formally recognised the Taliban government.
