US Nightly Drone Flights in Afghanistan Signal Unending Occupation, Says Taliban Minister

The Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization (AJSO), which published its findings Monday, said women reporters face severe challenges and urged the international community to act decisively in their support.

The data, collected through an online questionnaire in late July and early August, surveyed 101 female journalists still based inside Afghanistan. The report found that 92 percent said they had been forced to alter or censor their reporting.

Only 6.9 percent of respondents said they were formally permitted to work. Another 35 percent said they continue working despite expanding restrictions, including rules requiring a male guardian at the workplace, bans on interviewing men and strict dress codes.

More than 55 percent of respondents reported facing personal threats, while 32 percent said they now work secretly, mainly for online outlets. Rising restrictions have forced 24 percent of female journalists to resign, and 54 percent reported losing their jobs.

Despite the risks, the organisation noted, many women continue their reporting quietly and in secret. It called on the international community to provide direct financial assistance and ensure access to online training in digital security and mental health.

The reclusive leader, who rarely appears in public, is said to have grown increasingly distrustful of technology. He reportedly relies on a radio communication system instead of mobile or internet services.

Sources close to Akhundzada said Sunday that the ban on phone use followed his decision to block fibre-optic internet connections. A Kandahar-based source said Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice, met Akhundzada last week to argue against the measures, but the leader rejected the appeal. “I will accept no excuses. This is my order,” Akhundzada reportedly said.

According to telecom officials, Akhundzada has ordered that internet access be limited to a small number of Taliban-monitored WhatsApp accounts for businessmen and select individuals. He has also directed the creation of a new telecom company that would provide access only to the central bank, private banks and diplomatic missions.

Talks between the Taliban-run telecom regulator in Kabul and leaders in Kandahar have so far failed to halt the plan. Several senior Taliban ministers and officials travelled to Kandahar last week in an attempt to dissuade Akhundzada but were unsuccessful, sources said.

The Afghanistan People’s Liberation Movement said its fighters struck Taliban forces in Guzara district of Herat province on Sunday evening, around 9 p.m. local time. In a statement, the group said the attack took place near the UN mission’s office in Herat and targeted Taliban members linked to the Al-Farooq Corps training centre. It claimed the fighters seized weapons and equipment during the assault.

Local sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that clashes broke out in Guzara, though Taliban officials have not publicly commented.

The Afghanistan People’s Liberation Movement is a relatively unknown anti-Taliban group. It was recently mentioned in a report by the UN secretary-general, but little is known about its membership or operational capacity.

The report, sent to Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of the Taliban’s intelligence agency, cites a deepening legitimacy crisis, widening rifts within the movement’s leadership and the potential re-emergence of alternative power centres. It urges reforms to prevent further unrest.

The document warns that a comeback by warlords could attract public support, fuelled by frustration over harsh social restrictions, particularly against women, curbs on civil liberties and opaque economic policies.

It also highlights growing divisions within Taliban ranks over the country’s future direction, saying the internal crisis has reached a level “that can no longer be ignored.”

The Taliban administration has not commented on the report, and it is unclear whether it has been shared with the group’s reclusive leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, in Kandahar.

Al-Emarah, one of the Taliban’s official publications, described Trump’s remarks as “an assault on national sovereignty and an insult to the feelings of the Afghan people.”

The outlet cited earlier comments from Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who warned that “any plan for the return of foreign forces, especially to Bagram, is a blatant violation of Afghanistan’s independence.”

Al-Emarah said Bagram remains a “symbol of occupation” for Afghans, and that renewed discussion of a US return amounted to “disrespect for national sentiments.” The article stressed that Afghanistan’s priorities are “peace, economic growth and the welfare of its people” and urged the international community to seek political, economic and cultural cooperation rather than a military presence.

It concluded: “Afghan soil will not host the military presence of any power.”

Trump has repeatedly said in recent days that Washington should regain Bagram, describing the base as strategically important due to its proximity to China, comments that have also drawn reaction from Beijing.