Taliban’s Balkh Governor Urges Full Enforcement Of Group’s Leader Orders In North

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.

The breach exposed their identities and heightened the risks they face under Taliban rule.

In a statement sent to media outlets, several ex-servicemen said that human lives should not be left at the mercy of arbitrary decisions.

The controversy follows a 2022 leak of sensitive documents containing personal details of Afghans who supported British troops. The information was circulated online in 2023. Initially kept confidential under a court order, the case became public in 2025 after the High Court forced the government to disclose it. A secret relocation scheme was later launched, but many say their cases remain unresolved or unfairly rejected.

Applicants under the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) say they received mass rejections without adequate review. Speaking to Afghanistan International, one former Afghan special forces soldier said: “I applied for ARAP in 2022 and was rejected in 2023. Many of my colleagues were also denied. In early 2025, I received an email saying my case was under review again but today, Friday, several of us received emails confirming our applications were rejected again.”

He added that his former unit, consisting of around 50 soldiers who worked on the same missions with British troops, saw inconsistent decisions. “Some were accepted, others weren’t. It makes no sense,” he said.

Several of the veterans say they remain in hiding due to security threats. One said a colleague was recently detained by the Taliban after documents linking him to British forces were discovered on his phone. He has been missing for nearly a month.

‘Our Voices Must Be Heard’

In a joint statement, a group of former Afghan soldiers said that despite submitting detailed evidence of their collaboration, including videos, photos, official commendations, and threats against them, their ARAP applications were rejected for reasons such as “lack of formal contracts” or “unverifiable documentation.”

They argued that during joint combat operations, formal contracts were rarely issued, and cooperation with British forces was often informal but well-documented.

One applicant said his photos and videos with British troops were dismissed by UK authorities on the grounds that “British officers’ faces were not clearly identifiable” or that “his presence in the images could not be confirmed.”

The group is now calling on UK parliamentarians, human rights organisations, and the media to push for an independent and transparent review of the ARAP application process.

Iran Seeks Names of Afghan Collaborators

Meanwhile, The Telegraph has reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has asked the Taliban to provide a list of roughly 25,000 Afghans who worked with British forces. According to the report, Iran aims to identify individuals with potential links to the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, MI6, and may use the information to gain leverage in ongoing nuclear negotiations with the West.

The list reportedly includes the names of more than 100 British special forces and intelligence officers.

In a statement, the army said security forces launched the operation late Thursday after detecting the movement of a large group from “Fitna al-Khawarij,” a banned TTP faction. The militants were intercepted and “eliminated” as they tried to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border into Zhob, the military said.

A large cache of weapons and explosives was recovered from the insurgents, according to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government in Kabul. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP fighters, allegations the Taliban deny but which are supported by international reports.

In a recent briefing to the UN Security Council, UN experts said the Taliban continues to provide safe haven to foreign terrorist groups, posing a serious threat to the security of Central Asia and beyond. The report also noted the presence of multiple al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, including three newly identified sites used to train both al-Qaeda and TTP fighters.

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry accused Baloch insurgents and TTP militants of receiving financial and logistical support from within Afghanistan, urging the Taliban to take decisive action against them.

The source told Afghanistan International that the handover took place in June, with Mohammad Rahman named as the Taliban’s diplomatic representative at the consulate.

Sayed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, who served as consul under Afghanistan’s previous government, has been transferred to the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, where he continues to serve as chargé d’affaires.

Indian news agency IANS, citing its own sources, also reported that Rahman has headed the Hyderabad consulate since June 2025. The report noted that in 2024, India similarly handed over the Afghan consulate in Mumbai to Ikramuddin Kamil, another Taliban-appointed diplomat.

An Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the appointments indicate the Taliban’s intention to maintain and expand diplomatic engagement with New Delhi. The official added that the group may take control of the Afghan embassy in the Indian capital by the end of the year.

Another source suggested that a high-level Taliban delegation could visit India next month. If the visit proceeds as planned, it could mark a significant step towards deepening India-Taliban relations.

Yousuf Wafa, the Taliban-appointed governor of Balkh province and a close ally of the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, made the remarks during a gathering in Balkh on Thursday.

“For us, legitimacy comes from God and the people, not from the outside world,” Wafa said.

He also called for unwavering obedience to Akhundzada, urging the public to support the Taliban’s supreme leader and to implement his decrees and rulings without question.

Wafa, often referred to by observers as the “ruler of the north,” is regarded as one of Akhundzada’s most trusted figures. His comments highlight a growing internal divide within the Taliban over priorities and international engagement.

While the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul continues to lobby for formal international recognition, a central goal of its diplomacy since the group took power in 2021, Wafa’s remarks suggest that hardline factions aligned with Akhundzada view external legitimacy as secondary, if not irrelevant.

Over the past four years, Taliban officials have sought international legitimacy by offering cooperation on counterterrorism, expanding regional ties, and responding to diplomatic overtures. The group especially welcomed Russia’s recent decision to recognise their government, the first of its kind.

However, Supreme Leader Akhundzada has consistently prioritised the full implementation of his interpretation of religion over meeting international demands. He has rejected calls to ease restrictions on women and girls, particularly in education and employment.

Akhundzada has previously said, “I may lose my life, but I will not abandon Sharia,” underscoring his resistance to international pressure on human rights.