Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Silent On Reported Airstrikes In Afghanistan

Nurlan Yermekbayev, the SCO’s secretary-general, told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that Afghanistan’s economy is showing signs of recovery, but humanitarian and social problems persist. He said terrorism and restrictions on women’s rights remain among the most pressing issues.

He added that SCO member states share a consensus on Afghanistan’s problems and that the organisation is closely monitoring developments.

Yermekbayev’s comments followed remarks by Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, who warned in a separate article that more than 23,000 foreign militants are currently active in Afghanistan.

Despite the challenges, Yermekbayev noted that SCO member states continue to engage bilaterally with the Taliban authorities. He cited the SCO leaders’ declaration of 4 July 2024, which stated that forming an inclusive government representing all ethnic and political groups is the only path to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The SCO, founded in 2001, counts Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Belarus as full members. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while dialogue partners include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka.

Yermekbayev’s remarks come ahead of the SCO leaders’ summit set for 31 August to 1 September in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. The Taliban are not among the invitees.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung said Switzerland resumed engagement in March after a four-year absence. The new office is part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the Foreign Ministry.

Swiss diplomat Eric Marclay, who heads the office, told the newspaper the move has already shown positive results and argued that the best way to support Afghans is by maintaining a presence in the country. He leads a team of five Swiss staff and 10 Afghan employees, including three women approved by the Taliban to work with the office.

Switzerland closed its mission in Kabul in 2021 after the Taliban takeover, shifting consular services to its embassy in Pakistan. Humanitarian assistance, however, continued and has since focused on emergency relief.

Swiss officials said support for women and girls remains a priority. Switzerland currently funds about 140 Afghan women’s organisations that provide services ranging from aid for victims of violence to selling handicrafts.

Marclay noted the Taliban have allowed some women-focused projects to continue despite widespread restrictions. He said the Kabul office is strictly humanitarian and separate from political engagement.

The office’s opening comes as Switzerland invited four Taliban representatives to Geneva last week to help verify the identities of 13 Afghan asylum seekers, 11 of whom had been convicted of crimes and are due for deportation. Refugee rights groups have criticised the cooperation as conferring legitimacy on the Taliban, though Swiss conservatives say it will help facilitate removals.

Marclay also warned that mass expulsions of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran could deepen the humanitarian crisis. He highlighted projects such as irrigation schemes with the Aga Khan Foundation that aim to improve livelihoods and give young Afghans reasons to remain in the country.

In a statement Tuesday, security officials said a TTP cell intended to use a car bomb on Defence Day, set for 5 September. They said an operation on the outskirts of the capital led to the arrest of a senior TTP commander, the Afghan suicide attacker and five other militants accused of planning the attack.

Officials said the Afghan bomber had received training at the “Al-Farooq Fidayee” camp in Afghanistan. The group had rented a house in Tarnol, outside Islamabad, to use as a hideout, and had conducted reconnaissance in parts of the city in July to select targets, according to authorities.

Security officials warned the planned assault could have mirrored a deadly TTP attack in March on a military zone in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when militants used a car bomb and a coordinated assault in an attempt to breach a secure compound.

The Pakistani army said Afghan nationals took part directly in that operation, which left 34 people dead, including five soldiers, 13 civilians and 16 TTP fighters, among them four suicide bombers. Another 32 people were wounded.

Brig. Gen. Abbasali Mohammadian said the operation to remove Afghans without legal residency permits is ongoing, with between 700 and 800 people identified daily across the capital. He noted that while 70,000 foreign nationals have so far been rounded up in Tehran, the number ultimately confirmed as undocumented is lower.

Iranian officials commonly use the term “foreign nationals” to refer to migrants, particularly Afghans.

Mohammadian added that a significant number of Afghans have also left Tehran voluntarily due to unemployment and tighter monitoring. He said the presence of undocumented migrants in public spaces, including Azadi Square and city parks, has declined since the campaign began.

The police chief warned that employing undocumented foreigners in businesses, especially in food outlets, supermarkets and restaurants, is a criminal offence and that establishments found in violation would be sealed. He said hiring foreign workers is only permitted if they hold valid documents and have completed required health checks.

According to Mohammadian, the initiative is part of Iran’s national plan to deport two million undocumented migrants by the end of the year, with Tehran assigned a specific quota.

The US Embassy for Afghanistan, now based in Doha, announced the change on Thursday in a brief statement confirming Decker’s departure. Decker had served for years as chargé d’affaires and oversaw the mission during the tumultuous period following the collapse of Afghanistan’s Western-backed government in 2021. The US Embassy in Kabul remains closed.

Brown has served as deputy chief of mission for Afghanistan since November 2023. His biography, released by the embassy, describes him as a career diplomat specialising in counterterrorism, political-military affairs, and combating transnational and financial crimes, as well as political and economic issues.

Before his current role, he was deputy director of the Office of Analysis for Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.