Taliban Leader Convenes Senior Officials In Kandahar To Discuss Bagram Air Base

According to a statement released on Saturday, 4 October, by the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Kabir expressed concern over the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, saying such operations “should not be repeated.”

The statement said both sides agreed that dialogue between the Taliban and Islamabad was essential to resolving current tensions. Kabir stressed that Afghanistan and Pakistan must “coexist in peace and security” and underlined the importance of regional stability.

The Pakistani delegation, meanwhile, emphasised the need for unity among Islamic nations and for improving relations between Kabul and Islamabad. They said that sustained political dialogue was the best way to address strained ties between the Taliban and the Pakistani government.

Jamaat-e-Islami, founded in the 1940s in Lahore, is one of Pakistan’s most influential religious political parties. The party advocates for an Islamic system based on Sharia law and promotes what it describes as “divine sovereignty.”

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, shared the video on Friday on his X account without providing context. The footage shows Taliban fighters seated in a vehicle, singing a song that glorifies suicide attacks and pledges retaliation against any perceived aggression.

“We are committed to peace, but if they make a mistake against us, the youths will register for suicide missions,” the lyrics say. The song praises several early figures associated with suicide operations and refers to Jalaluddin Haqqani as “Baba.” One verse warns that if anyone opposes the Taliban, they will “turn the mountains and valleys into flames.”

The video’s release follows Trump’s recent remarks that US forces should “retake Bagram Airbase.” In response, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the airbase is part of Afghanistan’s territory and “belongs neither to China nor the United States,” urging Washington to engage “through diplomacy and logic.”

Analysts say the Taliban’s publication of such propaganda is aimed at projecting defiance amid fears that Trump’s statements could signal renewed US interest in Afghanistan. Trump has warned that if the Taliban refuses to hand over the base, “bad things will happen.”

According to the report, 968 families returned to Afghanistan on the same day including 242 through the Torkham crossing, 580 via Spin Boldak, 31 through Pul-e-Abrisham, and 110 at the Islam Qala border point.

Pakistan and Iran have expelled at least 1.5 million Afghan migrants so far this year. International organisations have repeatedly warned of the severe humanitarian consequences of such large-scale deportations.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, earlier cautioned that mass deportations could further destabilise the country, saying the forced return of refugees violates the international principle of non-refoulement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than four million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023, many facing dire living conditions and limited access to basic services upon arrival.

Two sources in Washington told Afghanistan International they “strongly reject” the rumours, insisting that no US troops are present in Afghanistan. A senior Pentagon official said that there are no American forces in Afghanistan.

The rumours intensified after internet and telecom services were cut across Afghanistan last week. Social media posts suggested the Taliban had ordered residents near Bagram to vacate the area and were preparing to hand over the facility north of Kabul to the United States.

Some activists also claimed prisoners had been removed from Bagram airfield, fuelling speculation of a pending US return. The claims followed remarks by former US President Donald Trump, who said he was in talks with the Taliban to reclaim the base and warned “bad things” would happen if it was not returned.

American officials consider Bagram strategically important for countering China’s regional influence and combating Islamic State militants. The Taliban, however, has rejected any notion of ceding control. Its army chief declared that not one inch of Afghanistan’s soil would be handed to the US.

Despite this, Foreign Policy magazine recently suggested a potential agreement over Bagram cannot be ruled out. It noted that a US return could be negotiated directly with the Taliban, facilitated through third countries such as Qatar, the UAE or Uzbekistan, or managed by a joint military-civilian consortium.

The envoys reportedly broke the lock on the gate and unilaterally took control of the building. Their entry came on a public holiday in Germany, when no officials from the Foreign Ministry were present.

The move followed the collective resignation of the head and staff of the Bonn consulate, who had closed the mission in protest against Berlin’s acceptance of Taliban-appointed diplomats. In a statement, they said the decision was a rejection of Germany’s handover of the consulate to the group.

Sources identified one of the Taliban diplomats as Mustafa Hashimi. They said Asif Abdullah, a diplomat at the Afghan Embassy in Berlin, also entered the Bonn mission with four others.

Germany recently accepted two Taliban envoys in exchange for cooperation on deporting Afghan refugees. Berlin has also announced regular deportation flights to Afghanistan and plans to send a delegation to Kabul for talks on the issue.

Former acting consul general Hamid Nangialay Kabiri confirmed his resignation in a video message, saying the consulate had preserved its “independence” since the Taliban takeover and had refused to hand citizens’ documents to what he called the “illegitimate Taliban group.” He added that all consulate documents and assets would be transferred to the German Foreign Ministry.

A video obtained by Afghanistan International showed German police present as the gate was opened.

The German Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on the Taliban’s entry or the status of the Afghan consulate in Bonn.