Taliban, Kuchis Forcing Indigenous Communities From Homes, Says Anti-Taliban Group

In a new report to the UN Security Council, the panel of experts said several al-Qaeda-linked training camps are operating across Afghanistan, while the Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) remains “the most serious threat” to both the region and global security.

The report estimates ISIS-K has around 2,000 active fighters and continues to recruit from within and beyond Afghanistan’s borders. The group has reportedly run suicide training programmes for children under 14 and is training youths in religious schools, particularly in northern Afghanistan and near the Pakistani border.

The experts also detailed the ongoing presence of al-Qaeda, made up largely of Arab-origin fighters who fought alongside the Taliban in previous years. Al-Qaeda fighters are reportedly based in Helmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Uruzgan, and Zabul provinces. According to the report, three new training camps are now being used by both al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.

Foreign Fighters Transferred to Afghanistan

The UN report highlights growing concern over the transfer of extremist fighters from Syria to Afghanistan, including members of the Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari (KIB) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), both affiliated with al-Qaeda. These fighters have reportedly relocated to northern Afghanistan, raising fears of cross-border attacks.

In December 2024, a three-member delegation, including a representative of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, is believed to have travelled from Damascus to Kabul for talks with Taliban officials about the relocation of foreign fighters.

The Taliban has consistently denied the presence of foreign terrorist groups in the country. However, the report suggests that the group is either unwilling or unable to prevent these groups from operating freely.

ISIS-K Recruitment and Funding

The report also reveals that ISIS-K has called on its Afghan-based fighters to travel to Syria to reinforce its ranks, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that a significant number have already departed.

Despite ongoing counterterrorism operations, ISIS-K is believed to remain financially stable. UN member states estimate the group holds reserves of approximately $10 million, with some funds invested in Middle Eastern real estate. It continues to receive external funding, reportedly from an office in Somalia, and engages in kidnappings for ransom, targeting Afghan businessmen.

TTP and Baloch Militants Operating in Southern Afghanistan

According to the report, the TTP, which maintains an estimated 6,000 fighters, enjoys strong logistical and operational support from the Taliban. However, there is said to be internal division within the Taliban leadership over continued ties with the group, as some officials push for distancing to improve regional relations.

The report also highlights coordination between the TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), including its Majeed Brigade. One UN member state reported that the two groups share four training camps in southern Afghanistan — including Shah Wali Kot and Shorabak districts of Kandahar — where al-Qaeda provides both ideological indoctrination and weapons training.

Taliban Dismisses Allegations

Taliban officials continue to insist that ISIS-K has been neutralised and that no foreign terrorist groups are operating in the country. They have dismissed the UN findings as politically motivated propaganda.

However, the UN experts noted that while Taliban operations have weakened ISIS-K to some extent, the group continues to function with “relative impunity” and is actively exploiting dissatisfaction with Taliban governance.

The report calls on the international community to remain vigilant and urges continued monitoring of the evolving security situation in Afghanistan.

Residents told Afghanistan International that Pakistani authorities shut the crossing to pressure Afghans into obtaining visas for entry. The closure has sparked concern among local travellers, particularly those seeking urgent medical treatment in Pakistan.

Neither Pakistani nor Taliban officials have commented publicly on the move.

Local sources said that, until now, patients were permitted to cross the border using a “temporary travel pass.” It remains unclear whether the current closure extends to commercial vehicles or trade-related transport.

Pakistan has previously closed the Ghulam Khan crossing entirely for several days, halting all movement, including trade and humanitarian access.

In late June, Taliban officials in Khost announced a similar closure, stating that Pakistan had shut the crossing without providing a reopening date. At the time, authorities advised citizens, traders and travellers to avoid the Ghulam Khan route and seek alternative border points.

Located in the Gurbuz district in southwestern Khost, the Ghulam Khan crossing is the third most significant border checkpoint between Afghanistan and Pakistan, after Chaman and Torkham. It lies in a mountainous area adjacent to Pakistan’s North Waziristan district, a region often affected by security concerns.

Pakistan periodically shuts border crossings with Afghanistan due to political tensions, trade disputes, or security operations, frequently disrupting travel and commerce between the two countries.

The new tariff structure was published just hours before the 1 August deadline for trade negotiations and agreements with foreign governments.

Under the updated policy, countries with a trade deficit with the United States, including Afghanistan, will now face a base tariff rate of 15 percent. The previous 10 percent rate will remain in place only for countries that maintain a trade surplus with the US

In 2024, the total value of US-Afghanistan goods trade is estimated at $34 million. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, US exports to Afghanistan fell sharply in 2024, totalling $11.4 million, a 76.9 percent decline from $38.2 million, compared to 2023.

Meanwhile, US imports from Afghanistan rose to $22.6 million in 2024, an increase of 13.2 percent from the previous year.

This shift led to a reversal in the trade balance between the two countries, moving from a $29.7 million US surplus in 2023 to an $11.1 million deficit in 2024.

In a statement released late Thursday, 31 July, the AFF said the assault took place in the Chilston area of Kabul’s Police District 7. The group claimed that three Taliban fighters were killed and two members of the Taliban’s so-called morality police were wounded.

According to the AFF, the Taliban personnel at the checkpoint had been stopping vehicles and harassing civilians, prompting the targeted operation.

The Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident. The group frequently remains silent or denies claims of attacks by armed opposition groups.

The AFF said the attack was part of its ongoing operations to “defend and protect the rights, dignity, and social presence of Afghan women.” It reiterated its position that Taliban morality police are “legitimate military targets” due to their role in the repression of women.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has come under growing criticism in recent weeks for detaining dozens of women and girls across Kabul. The arrests have drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organisations, civil society groups, and Afghan citizens both inside and outside the country.

The hearings will be held in Madrid from 8 to 10 October in collaboration with the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, and will include participation from international judges, prosecutors and subject-matter experts. Organisers say the tribunal seeks to hold the Taliban morally and politically accountable, even though it lacks legal enforcement powers.

In a joint statement, the organisers said, that by holding the People’s Tribunal for Afghan Women, Afghan civil society and women’s rights groups are opening another avenue for justice and accountability for Taliban crimes.

The tribunal aims to document widespread human rights violations and provide evidence that may support future international legal action. Although it cannot issue arrest warrants, its findings will be submitted to international courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has already initiated preliminary investigations into Taliban crimes, including gender-based persecution.
Civil society organisations behind the initiative stressed that while arrest warrants for Taliban leaders are significant, they are not sufficient on their own. The tribunal, they said, underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive, victim-centred approach to transitional justice in Afghanistan.

Concerns Over International Normalisation of Taliban Rule

The announcement comes amid growing concern about the international community’s shifting posture toward the Taliban. Russia recently became the first permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to recognise the Taliban government. China and several regional powers have also deepened engagement with the group. While many European countries continue to condemn human rights violations in Afghanistan, some have maintained “technical contact” with the Taliban, particularly in the context of deporting Afghan asylum seekers.

The organisers of the tribunal warned that such engagement risks legitimising the Taliban despite their continued oppression of women.

Shaharzad Akbar, head of the Rawadari organisation and one of the tribunal’s organisers, told Afghanistan International that the initiative aims to counter the growing trend of political normalisation. “This tribunal is an Afghan-led effort to begin an independent justice process, rather than waiting for international institutions to act,” she said.

Akbar noted that as the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power approaches, Afghanistan has fallen off the global agenda, raising fears that the ongoing crisis, particularly for women, could be ignored.

She added that the tribunal will serve as a platform for Afghan women to directly participate in justice processes, share their personal testimonies, and amplify the voices of victims of war and gender-based violence.

Formal Accusations and Global Participation

Four Afghan prosecutors with experience in international justice and gender-based violence have been appointed to draft formal indictments. A joint team of Afghan and international experts is collecting documentation and evidence against the Taliban.

The hearings will be public and livestreamed, with an international judicial panel presiding. A final verdict is expected to be issued in December.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, a co-organiser of the event, is a Rome-based independent body that has previously convened hearings around the world on major human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

Other civil society organisations involved in organising the tribunal include Rawadari, the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation, and the Human Rights Defenders Forum.