Taliban Installs Over 200 Security Cameras At Customs Posts Across Afghanistan

Speaking at a press conference, Motamedian said the figure includes both voluntary returnees and migrants who were arrested and deported by security forces.

The governor described the number of deportations during this period as significant, noting that last year about 220,000 Afghan migrant students were enrolled in schools in Tehran province. Following the implementation of the deportation plan, that figure has fallen to 80,000.

He said roughly 6,000 classrooms that had been allocated to migrant students are now available to Iranian pupils without the need for additional school construction.

According to Motamedian, about half of all Afghan migrants in Iran were living in Tehran province. The process of identifying undocumented migrants began with the start of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, he said.

Deported Afghans have reported that Iranian police have detained and expelled them despite holding valid residency documents, including visas. Some have alleged that deportations were carried out with violence.

The expulsions are ongoing, and several international organisations have condemned the mass return of Afghan migrants from Iran as a violation of international law.

Marking the third anniversary of Habibi’s detention, Ahmad Shah Habibi said his brother had no ties to the CIA and had never cooperated with the agency.

The Taliban detained Habibi in connection with the 2022 killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, though he had returned to the Afghan capital from the United Arab Emirates five days after the operation. Ahmad Shah said US agencies failed to warn his brother or prevent his return.

He claimed the CIA continues to provide funding and intelligence to the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence, the same body he alleges is responsible for his brother’s detention.

The Taliban denies holding Habibi, but US officials believe he is in their custody. Washington has offered a $5 million reward for information on his whereabouts. Ahmad Shah said repeated requests to meet with CIA officials have gone unanswered, and he urged the agency to use its contacts to negotiate his brother’s release.

He warned that if his brother dies in Taliban custody, the CIA will bear responsibility.

Mansoor had claimed that Pakistan could not tolerate a strong central government in Afghanistan and viewed the Taliban no differently from the Mujahideen. He also alleged that Islamabad feared an independent, self-reliant Afghanistan under any leadership.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said no country has a greater stake in Afghanistan’s stability than Pakistan. He added that the Pakistani government would raise Mansoor’s remarks directly with the Taliban administration.

Diplomatic Ties Upgraded

Khan also announced that Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with the Taliban have been elevated to the ambassadorial level under a bilateral agreement. He said the Taliban envoy in Pakistan now enjoys full ambassadorial protocol and that “no further action is required.”

The spokesperson confirmed that Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will visit Pakistan, though no date has been set.

Earlier, a US source told Afghanistan International that Washington had blocked Muttaqi’s planned visit in response to the Taliban’s continued denial of detaining Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American citizen. The source added that US pressure on the Taliban was “only just beginning.”

He has also stressed on tighter enforcement of the Taliban’s “propagation of virtue” law, during a coordination meeting of senior officials from northern Afghanistan.

According to the Taliban, the meeting, held in Sar-e Pol province on Friday, brought together governors, police chiefs, intelligence directors, and members of the religious scholars council from Balkh, Jowzjan, Faryab, Samangan, and Sar-e Pol.

The Balkh governor’s office said the session focused on applying Akhundzada’s decrees, reviewing regional security, and strengthening the Taliban’s governance system. Wafa told attendees the orders should be implemented first within government offices before being explained to the public by clerics.

Officials at the meeting agreed that at least four of the leader’s decrees should be read aloud and explained at all official gatherings. The statement said participants also discussed preventing the removal of Taliban fighters from government roles, imposing restrictions on smartphone use, and “facilitating the implementation of Sharia punishments” for offenders.

Wafa urged vigilance against security threats, telling officials to “work to neutralise the enemy’s malicious plans in time.”

Considered one of Akhundzada’s close allies, Wafa wields significant authority in northern Afghanistan and regularly receives performance reports on Taliban governors in the region.

The commission said 4,722 migrants returned via the Islam Qala crossing, while 886 crossed back into Afghanistan through the Pul-e Abrisham border point.

In a statement, the commission said the returnees collectively received 8.7 million afghanis in cash assistance. It added that 1,244 of them were transferred to the provinces of Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar, Balkh, Jowzjan, Badakhshan and Sar-e Pul.

The announcement came a day after the Taliban reported that Iran had deported 5,936 Afghan migrants. Large-scale expulsions from Iran remain ongoing.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has previously warned about the mass return of Afghans from neighbouring countries and called for urgent funding to address their needs. According to the IOM, more than 4 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023.