Stand With Pakistan In Fight Against Terrorism, Says US

The delegation travelled to the northern Afghan province at the Taliban’s invitation. The visit follows an earlier trip by Yousuf Wafa, the Taliban governor of Balkh and a close aide to the group’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who visited Dushanbe at Tajikistan’s invitation.

According to Taliban state media, Fayzollahzoda, the deputy governor of Tajikistan’s Khatlon region, met with Mohammad Khan, the Taliban governor of Kunduz. Intelligence, security, trade and economic officials from both sides also attended the meeting.

In addition to security and economic issues, the two sides discussed visa arrangements and consular services for traders from both countries.

Tajikistan has been the only Central Asian state that maintains limited diplomatic engagement with the Taliban. However, after nearly four years, ties between Dushanbe and the Taliban administration appear to be gradually thawing.

Dushanbe maintains close ties with Afghan armed opposition groups but has recently sought to establish limited contact with the Taliban as well.

No high-ranking officials from either Tajikistan or Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have yet made official visits to each other’s countries. However, sources told Afghanistan International that Tajikistan’s intelligence chief made a secret visit to Afghanistan.

The reported visit by Saimumin Yatimov, Tajikistan’s national security chief, indicates that security concerns particularly over the presence of Tajik militant group Ansarullah in Afghanistan remain a key priority for President Emomali Rahmon’s government.

Earlier, the Taliban governor of Balkh visited Tajikistan and called for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also urged greater cooperation to counter security threats, saying instability in Afghanistan would harm all neighbouring states.

Asif accused the Afghan Taliban of harbouring militants responsible for attacks in Pakistan and rejected their condemnation of the bombing as “insincere and meaningless.”

He stressed that Pakistan will not leave what he called aggression unanswered. Asif told Geo News after the attack, which occurred in the parking area of the G-11 district court in the capital, that a firm and decisive response will follow.

Pakistani authorities quickly blamed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), India, and the Afghan Taliban for the assault. The Afghan Taliban’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, but Asif said the statement “does not reflect reality,” claiming the group continues to shelter militants targeting Pakistan.

The defence minister said Islamabad would present evidence of Afghanistan’s involvement in recent incidents to mediators including Qatar and Turkiye.

Asif also alleged that India was carrying out attacks on Pakistan “through Afghan territory,” an accusation the Indian Ministry of External Affairs rejected as baseless. He added that there were no terrorist sanctuaries inside Pakistan and claimed most recent attacks were carried out by Afghan nationals.

He further accused the Afghan Taliban of adopting a “hostile stance” toward Pakistan and said Islamabad had lost confidence in their assurances.

Asif also claimed that terrorists were receiving financial support from Indian consulates in Afghanistan, though he provided no evidence. He said Pakistan would use “all diplomatic options” to manage the situation with Kabul.

The Islamabad bombing came shortly after peace talks between Pakistani and Taliban officials in Istanbul collapsed. Pakistan had reportedly sought written guarantees from the Taliban to stop cross-border militant attacks.

Taliban Foreign Ministry said the Pakistani delegation had asked for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters to be relocated inside Afghanistan a request it rejected, saying, “We are not foolish enough to take on Pakistan’s burden.”

Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi said Pakistan must ensure that Afghanistan’s territory is not used against it and called for decisive action to protect national security.

“No enemy has the strength to challenge the faith and resolve of Pakistan’s forces,” Ashrafi said, adding that the army, backed by the public, is capable of maintaining security across the country.

He warned that militant attacks destabilise Pakistan as well as neighbouring states and could lead to serious consequences.

“Terrorism has come to your cities, but you are refusing to acknowledge the root cause of it,” Saleh said in comments posted after Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Islamabad, which killed 12 people and wounded 27. The attack occurred in the parking area of a judicial complex.

Saleh said that despite repeated warnings that have since proved accurate, Pakistani officials have responded with insults and accusations instead of reassessing their policies. He argued that Pakistan has failed to learn from its mistakes between 1994 and 2024 and continues to pursue the same strategies under new labels.

He said the roots of terrorism in Pakistan lie in what he called the country’s historic mistake of using “jihad” as an instrument of national policy. He added that Pakistan still does not classify the Taliban as a terrorist group, even though, he said, it is no different from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Saleh accused Pakistan of helping install the Taliban regime in Afghanistan by destroying the Afghan Republic from within, and said that instead of taking a moral stance and mobilising the international community to address the crisis at its core, Pakistani authorities have shifted to ethnic games involving Tajiks and Pashtuns.

He urged Pakistan’s leadership to examine its own internal situation and to use its political and military resources to counter the Taliban threat and protect people across the region, rather than repeating past policy failures.

In a statement posted on its official account on X, the NRF said the attack was carried out at about 10 p.m. on Monday in the Zanjir-e Charchab area of Khanabad district. The group said one other Taliban fighter was wounded.

The Taliban have not commented on the claim.

Afghanistan International cannot independently verify the NRF’s account of the incident.

The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, is an anti-Taliban group that emerged after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021.