Taliban-Run Power Firm Signs Deals With Uzbekistan To Supply 11 Afghan Provinces

The bodies were taken on Saturday to the central hospital of Paktika province in the city of Sharan, escorted by Taliban fighters in military vehicles. Images obtained by Afghanistan International showed ambulances carrying the bodies.

The fighters were killed earlier this month in Pakistan’s Sambaza area of Balochistan, near the Afghan border. On 11 August, Pakistan’s military announced it had killed 50 TTP members in operations there and seized weapons, ammunition and explosives.

Sources said about 90 percent of those killed were Afghans from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of the TTP, which had crossed into Pakistan to attack security forces. The group is regarded as one of the most active anti-Pakistan factions and was previously identified as a military wing of the TTP. It has carried out multiple deadly attacks against Pakistani forces.

Earlier reports indicated that the bodies would be handed over to the families in various Afghan provinces. The Taliban have not commented publicly on the transfers.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering militant groups, including the TTP, and has urged them to take concrete action. The Taliban deny the charge, insisting Afghan soil is not used against other countries.

At the UN Security Council earlier this month, Pakistan’s envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad warned that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan, particularly the TTP, which is believed to have around 6,000 fighters, pose the most immediate threat to Pakistan’s national security.

UN experts have also reported that the Taliban continue to provide a permissive environment for foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which they said threatens the wider security of Central Asia and beyond.

Ali Dadashtabar, police commander of Babol county in Mazandaran province, told reporters on Saturday that Afghan migrants are only permitted to work temporarily in a handful of sectors, including waste management, rice mills, foundries and slaughterhouses. Even in these areas, he said, jobs would be available only for a limited period before migrants are returned to Afghanistan.

He also called on Iranian citizens to report undocumented migrants to the police.

Iran has sharply accelerated expulsions of Afghans in recent weeks. Officials say more than 1.2 million have been deported, with the pace increasing after the country’s 12-day conflict with Israel.

Between 18 and 20 August, Ambassador Cenk Ünal and Indrika Ratwatte, deputy head of the UN political mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), toured the mountainous region and shared photos of its striking landscapes.

Ünal wrote on X that he visited UN-backed projects, met local residents and heard their concerns. “We had warm reception and sincere welcome everywhere. Glad to meet with people who are still able to smile despite the tough conditions,” he said.

The United Nations said it has launched several development initiatives in the corridor, one of the country’s most isolated regions. Ratwatte stressed the importance of long-term investment, saying: “I witnessed the powerful impact of UN and partner efforts, moving beyond emergency aid to build resilient communities.”

Ünal added that ensuring development in Wakhan requires a collective effort so that “no one is left behind.”

Bakht Jamal Gohar, a Taliban representative at the Torkham border crossing, said deportations had recently accelerated, though he did not specify by how much.

Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal, head of the Taliban-run Omari camp in Torkham, urged aid agencies to provide more assistance to those being sent back.

Meanwhile, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb accused Islamabad of committing “injustice” against Afghan migrants. In a media interview, he said many Afghans in Pakistan hold assets, investments and property, and appealed to Pakistani authorities to allow them time to collect or sell their belongings.

Pakistan has deported tens of thousands of undocumented Afghans since announcing a crackdown on illegal migration last year, a move that has drawn criticism from rights groups and international organisations.

Mohammad Javanbakht, Iran’s deputy energy minister for water affairs, told state-run Tasnim News Agency that this year’s drought and low rainfall had worsened shortages in Iran. He said that under the 1973 Helmand River treaty, Afghanistan is obliged to provide Iran with 820 million cubic metres of water annually.

“Only about 100 million cubic metres of water reached the Chah Nimeh reservoirs this year,” Javanbakht said, describing the shortfall as a serious breach of the agreement. He added that Tehran would now pursue its water rights “more firmly and decisively.”

Iran’s foreign minister has also cited Afghanistan’s failure to meet water commitments as a major challenge in bilateral relations.

Some Iranian officials allege the Taliban have deliberately diverted water into salt marshes to prevent flows into Iran. The Taliban reject the claim, blaming regional drought, but insist they remain committed to the treaty.

During a recent visit to Iran, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said providing water for residents of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province was both a humanitarian responsibility and an Islamic duty.