World Bank Says Taliban Spent Nearly Half Of Afghanistan’s Budget On Security Affairs

Security officials said a suicide bomber detonated himself at the main gate, after which two additional attackers attempted to storm the compound but were shot dead by police. The attack took place at around 8 a.m. local time.

Pakistani media, citing security sources, reported that three militants were involved. The government described the assailants as “Khawarij,” a term used by officials to refer to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Authorities said the casualty toll would likely have been far higher had the two gunmen succeeded in entering the building.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident as a “terrorist attack” and praised the police response as “brave,” saying officers’ swift action prevented a larger loss of life.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident comes days after a powerful explosion in Islamabad killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 others. Following that blast, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that the country might launch military action inside Afghanistan.

Haji Zaid, spokesperson for the Taliban-appointed governor of Balkh, said Uzbekistan will in return supply Afghanistan with high-quality cement and pharmaceuticals.

The shift comes as border closures and the suspension of trade with Pakistan push the Taliban to expand commercial ties with regional partners, particularly Iran and Uzbekistan. The Taliban have previously said Afghan agricultural products will be exported to Central Asia, South Asia and Europe via Uzbekistan through air corridors.

Earlier, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs urged Afghan traders to seek alternative routes for trade and transit.

The Taliban-run Ministry of Finance has claimed that the halt in trade with Pakistan has had “no negative impact” on Afghanistan’s overall trade volume and that customs revenues remain unaffected. The ministry said it would fully support traders in strengthening commercial links through alternative routes.

Following rising tensions between Kabul and Islamabad and the closure of key border crossings, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported on 11 November that the month-long shutdown of the Torkham crossing had caused more than 4.5 billion dollars in losses to the economies of both countries.

Economist Reza Farzam said the Taliban’s assertion that the suspension of trade with Pakistan has had no impact on Afghanistan is misleading, arguing that the country currently has no immediate alternatives to its main trade routes.

In a post on X on Monday, Durrani wrote that rising tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban should be a matter of concern for the wider region.

Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Three rounds of talks have ended without progress, with the Taliban refusing to meet Pakistan’s key demands regarding Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad sought a written commitment from the Taliban to halt TTP attacks inside Pakistan, a religious decree condemning jihad in Pakistan, and the handover of TTP leaders. The Taliban rejected all three demands, insisting that the TTP issue is “Pakistan’s internal matter.”

The directives, delivered in mosques across several districts, have sparked criticism and warnings that the practice could fuel domestic tensions.

Residents told Afghanistan International that Taliban officers have recently intensified visits to neighbourhood mosques, urging families to submit women who “do not listen to male family members, go to the market without permission, or fail to observe full hijab.”

Over the past ten days, residents say the officers have repeatedly called on worshippers to follow Taliban instructions and report women who do not meet their standards. In District 9 and other areas, Taliban members reportedly locked mosque doors after evening prayers, preventing people from leaving until the officers had finished speaking.

A resident said armed men blocked anyone attempting to exit early. “We came for prayers, but then they said no one could leave,” he said. “They told us women who do not obey their husbands must be handed over to them so they can be ‘corrected’.”

Another resident in District 5 said the officers declared openly that women who disobey or fail to observe “proper hijab” must be surrendered to them. The statements have prompted strong reactions across Kandahar.

Locals say the Taliban’s demands violate family privacy and social norms. “It is extremely shameful,” one resident said. “No one will hand over his wife to be imprisoned by others.”

Another resident said the Taliban’s instructions represent “blatant interference in family affairs,” noting that similar demands have been made in several districts.

Some residents warned that the behaviour of Taliban morality officers places psychological pressure on women and could embolden men to use the Taliban’s orders as a tool of coercion at home. They cautioned that such actions are likely to increase family conflict.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said in a statement that the punishments were carried out in the presence of the district court’s chief and members, the local police commander, officials from the Directorate of Vice and Virtue, and residents of Spin Zar district.

Sayed Mahmood Hashimi, head of the Spin Zar district primary court, reiterated the Taliban’s commitment to enforcing “Islamic Sharia,” warning that “anyone who acts against Sharia will be punished according to Sharia, and the survival of the system depends on enforcing Islamic rulings.”

Despite widespread condemnation from international human rights organisations over public corporal punishment and the mistreatment of detainees, the Taliban continue to carry out public floggings, describing them as the implementation of “Islamic Sharia.”