Chinese Envoy Meets Taliban FM To Discuss International Ties

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE said it has hosted more than 17,000 Afghan migrants in Abu Dhabi since 2021 and spent nearly 1.35 billion dirhams (approximately USD 367 million) on hosting and relocating them to third countries.

The ministry emphasised that Afghan refugees have been provided with comprehensive services at Abu Dhabi’s Humanitarian City, including healthcare, education, housing, food, and logistical and diplomatic support. The statement did not address claims regarding the potential deportation of Afghan nationals still awaiting resettlement.

Concerns were raised after the media outlet Just the News reported that UAE authorities were preparing to transfer some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. US President Donald Trump responded to the report on 20 July via his social media platform, Truth Social, stating his intention to intervene on behalf of the refugees.

The UAE-based newspaper The National also reported that the foreign ministry reiterated its ongoing humanitarian support and the dignified treatment of Afghan migrants in the country.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans were evacuated to the UAE on US and NATO military flights. Many have since been awaiting resettlement to the United States, Canada, and European nations.

Afghan refugees in the UAE have repeatedly voiced frustration over their prolonged and uncertain status, urging Western governments, particularly the United States, to expedite relocation processes.

During his presidency, Trump ended the large-scale resettlement programme for Afghan allies and their families and revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals. As a result, over 14,000 Afghans who entered the United States irregularly remain at risk of deportation.

In a statement issued on Thursday in response to a query from Afghanistan International, the ministry said the decision aims to ensure that Afghan citizens residing in Germany have access to basic consular services. The ministry clarified that the acceptance of the diplomats does not signify formal recognition of the Taliban regime.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the number of staff in Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in Germany is limited. To address ongoing consular needs, the German government approved the addition of two new personnel to the Afghan Embassy in Berlin and the Afghan Consulate in Bonn.

The move follows Germany’s announcement that it would resume deportations of Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers convicted of crimes, after recent attacks involving Islamist offenders. However, without official relations with the Taliban, Germany had been unable to facilitate deportations to Afghanistan until now.

Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German government, stated that the Taliban diplomats will help facilitate deportation processes, particularly for Afghan migrants with criminal records.

The German Foreign Ministry acknowledged ongoing concerns regarding Taliban control over Afghan diplomatic missions abroad. It noted that Afghanistan’s embassy and consulates in Germany remain operational and are still managed, in part, by diplomats who were accredited before the Taliban took power in August 2021.

The arrival of Taliban-appointed diplomats has sparked internal tensions. Diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International that staff at the Afghan Consulate in Bonn have decided to collectively resign in protest. The mission is expected to formally notify the German government of their decision.

Previously, Yama Yari, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Germany, resigned under pressure from the German government. The inclusion of Taliban personnel has renewed divisions within Afghan diplomatic missions in the country.

If these resignations proceed, consular services such as passport issuance for Afghan refugees in Germany may be disrupted. It remains unclear whether the German government will allow additional Taliban diplomats to fill potential staffing gaps.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it will only engage with Afghan diplomatic missions that adhere to its directives.

Sources told Afghanistan International that Ghaznawi was detained on 17 July from his madrassa in Kabul. A Taliban military court sentenced him on 23 July to 45 days in prison. He was reportedly tried for issuing a “fatwa for jihad against Pakistan” and for publicly criticising the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.

Initial reports suggest that some Taliban security officials in Kabul were reluctant to arrest Ghaznawi, citing his role as a former religious instructor. However, a team of Taliban intelligence agents from Kandahar, allegedly acting on orders from the group's supreme leader, ultimately carried out the arrest.

In a prior video statement, Ghaznawi accused Khalifa Din Muhammad and members of the Saifiya Sufi order of spreading superstitions and “polytheism” a charge that some observers say may have contributed to his detention.

The cleric’s arrest has sparked internal criticism from Taliban officials and supporters.

Rahmatullah Andar, a former Taliban commander and ex-spokesperson for the previous Afghan government’s National Security Council, condemned the decision, writing: “Abdul Sami Ghaznawi’s only fault was that he did not interpret religion as Hibatullah Akhundzada wanted.” He warned that if the Taliban treat their own teachers this way, their treatment of others will be far worse.

Omid Zaland, a known Taliban supporter, wrote that the order came from leaders who have “strayed from their path” and said the Taliban leadership has become increasingly sensitive about the term “jihad” since coming to power.

Ghaznawi has long promoted the idea of jihad against Pakistan. In a recent speech, he argued that declaring jihad does not require a formal fatwa from an emir, stating that Islamic conditions for jihad are clearly defined and “not bound by time or place.”

This is not the first time Ghaznawi has faced arrest. Sources say he was also briefly detained by the Taliban last year.

Speaking at a “Kabul-NATO Dialogue” session in Canada’s parliament, Lüttenberg responded to criticism over Germany’s decision to allow Taliban-appointed diplomats to operate in the country. He emphasised that Berlin’s cooperation with the group is pragmatic and limited in scope.

His remarks came after Afghan civil activist Ejaz Malikzada criticised the German government for what he described as a double standard citing Germany’s acceptance of Taliban diplomats while taking a strong stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Malikzada, who referred to the Taliban as a “terrorist group,” accused Germany of undermining its own values on human rights by engaging with the Taliban administration. “This is a betrayal of the principles Germany has long stood for,” he said.

The session was attended by Afghan activists, journalists, Canadian lawmakers, and Western diplomats.

Taliban Diplomats Accepted in Germany

Diplomatic sources recently told Afghanistan International that the German government has granted visas to two Taliban-appointed diplomats to work at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Bonn.

German officials later confirmed the move, explaining that the appointments were part of a practical arrangement to facilitate deportation flights for Afghan nationals with criminal records.

German government spokesperson Stefan Cornelius said the decision aims to enable the repatriation of a larger number of deportees. The Taliban appointees, identified as Sayed Mustafa Hashimi and Nibras-ul-Haq, will be stationed in Berlin and Bonn.

Germany recently deported 81 Afghan nationals classified as criminals back to Kabul.

Despite the move, Berlin maintains that it does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan and continues to support human rights, democratic governance, and inclusive representation in the country.

In a statement, Behsoodi said individuals had lodged baseless complaints against his office with the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Justice, leading to what he described as a targeted and unjustified crackdown.

“These conspiracies and schemes misled the Ministry of Justice,” he stated, adding that as a result, the office was sealed, four individuals were arrested, and teachers, students, and staff were expelled.

Although the detainees were later released due to a lack of evidence and no formal court ruling, Behsoodi said he learned that his branch office and affiliated seminary in Dashte Barchi had also been shut down.

“The justice minister makes decisions without conducting proper investigations,” he said, announcing his resignation from the religious custodianship of the Mahdavia Mosque and school in protest.

Behsoodi has been an outspoken critic of Taliban policies over the past four years. In a recent address in Balkh, he urged the group to engage with the international community, build ties with neighbouring countries, and recognise Afghanistan’s ethnic and political diversity.

He called on the Taliban to respect the country’s cultural and religious pluralism and to transition their interim government into an inclusive national administration.

“If we have a truly national administration, the world cannot eliminate, humiliate, or ignore us,” Behsoodi said.