TV Services Suspended In Balkh As Taliban Expands Image Broadcasting Ban To 21 Provinces

The adviser, Farooq Azam, was detained on the orders of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the sources said. He has reportedly been transferred to the Taliban’s oversight office in Kabul, and his case referred to a military court in the capital.

“He had recently written posts and made comments in private meetings that contradicted the emirate’s [Taliban] policies, which led to his arrest,” one source said.

Azam drew attention last week when he wrote on Facebook that female nurses should be sent to Kunar to demonstrate to Taliban members opposed to women’s education “that women’s learning is useful” and to provide a practical example of its importance to society.

He also appealed to female health professionals inside and outside Afghanistan to act swiftly to assist those affected by the disaster.

In his post, Azam asked: “Can our educated women take initiative and make sacrifices to secure their place in society? If the answer is yes, then now is the time.”

The delegation, led by Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Atabak, includes members of parliament and other senior officials, according to the ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said the group had already held meetings with Taliban officials. The delegation is also expected to travel to Herat to visit Islam Qala port, the railway line and mining projects, and to meet with representatives of the Afghan private sector.

Although Tehran has not formally recognised the Taliban, Iran remains the group’s largest trading partner. Taliban officials say annual trade between the two sides is valued at about $4 billion.

Abdul Manan Shahidzada, head of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Daikundi province, told state radio that the initiative had already begun there. He said the decree, issued on 29 August, tasked provincial offices of the ministry with identifying and collecting patients.

According to Shahidzada, the order aims to “maintain social order, prevent urban problems and address the condition of mentally ill patients.” He said those collected would be handed over to the Taliban-controlled Red Crescent and other organisations.

The announcement has raised concerns, given the Taliban’s previous treatment of vulnerable people. Last October, Taliban members shot dead a 22-year-old mentally ill man who had blocked them from entering his home. Witnesses said the fighters had attempted to forcibly take him to their checkpoint.

In a statement, the group said the attack took place around 8:30 p.m. in Guzara district, along the Herat–Pashtun Zarghun road, near a police training centre.

The NRF said its fighters seized two weapons and a motorcycle belonging to the Taliban during the raid. It added that those killed were members of the reconnaissance unit of the Taliban’s Al-Farooq Corps.

The group said none of its fighters were harmed in the operation.

According to the sources, Adam Boehler, the US special envoy for hostage affairs, met Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar and conveyed Trump’s position, urging him to pass it directly to Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The sources said Boehler emphasised that Washington was particularly focused on the case of Mahmoud Shah Habibi, and pressed Baradar to convince Akhundzada to reconsider his stance and ensure the swift release of Habibi and other Americans in Taliban custody.

In response, Baradar reportedly asked for time to consult Akhundzada in Kandahar before relaying Trump’s message about the seriousness of the US position.

While the Taliban’s official statements framed the meetings with Boehler and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as focused on normalising relations, economic cooperation and sanctions relief, sources said the American delegation prioritised the issue of prisoner releases.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, confirmed that American representatives have been engaged in talks with the Taliban for some time but provided no further details.

It remains unclear how many Americans are currently being held in Taliban prisons.

After the first US delegation visit earlier this year, Taliban sources told Afghanistan International that Boehler had warned Foreign Minister Muttaqi the group’s ministries would face retaliation if American prisoners were not freed.