What Is Known About The Suspect In The Shooting Of Two US National Guard

Abdullah Farooqi, spokesperson for the Taliban Border Police, said the delegation is scheduled to meet several senior Tajik security officials. In a video message on Wednesday, Farooqi said the group would hold talks with the governor of Tajikistan’s Badakhshan autonomous region, the deputy head of the National Security Committee for border affairs, and other officials. Abdul Manan Hassan, the Taliban’s deputy military chief of the Border Police, is also part of the delegation.

Hekmatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s head of water and energy in Badakhshan, said the delegation had reached important understandings during the meetings. According to him, both sides agreed to curb illegal cross-border movement, exchange intelligence, establish joint border markets and strengthen mutual trust.

The visit follows a high-level Tajik delegation’s trip to Kabul on 17 November, during which Tajik officials met Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss expanding cooperation across various sectors, including diplomatic and economic ties.

Earlier, Yousuf Wafa, the Taliban governor of Balkh and a close ally of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, visited Dushanbe at Tajikistan’s invitation and called for the handover of Afghanistan’s embassy.

Tajikistan remains one of the Central Asian states with the lowest level of diplomatic engagement with the Taliban. Concerns over the presence and activity of militant groups inside Afghanistan continue to shape regional security discussions.

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, and Tajikistan’s ambassador to Islamabad, Yusuf Sharifzoda, also discussed Afghanistan and ways to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, with regional stability high on their agenda.

Gul Hassan, the Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow, raised the issue during talks with Bakhtiyor Khakimov, the Russian president’s special representative to the SCO. Russia is the only country that recognises the Taliban authorities.

According to a statement from the Taliban embassy in Moscow, the meeting focused on “reactivating Afghanistan’s observer status” for future SCO gatherings.

The SCO, founded in 2001, includes Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan as full members. Belarus joined on 4 July 2024. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while dialogue partners range from Azerbaijan and Armenia to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sri Lanka.

Unlike the Taliban administration, Mongolia has continued to attend SCO meetings as an observer over the past four years. Despite Russia’s recognition of the Taliban, the group was not invited to the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, held in Moscow on 18 November.

The embassy said Hassan also discussed the outcomes of the latest SCO meeting with Khakimov, who reportedly stressed the importance of removing obstacles and maintaining dialogue. He suggested that Afghanistan’s participation as an observer would benefit all parties.

Earlier this year, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry claimed that China had invited its representatives to an SCO meeting, but the group was also excluded from the SCO foreign ministers’ gathering held in China on 15 July.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Sadiq Khan said Pakistan and Iran were committed to working with regional partners to address shared security concerns, particularly terrorism, and to promote peace and stability. He described the meeting as a useful opportunity to exchange views on recent regional developments.

The talks took place as tensions have again risen along Afghanistan’s eastern border, where Pakistan has recently carried out strikes on targets inside the country.

Earlier, Sadiq met Yusuf Sharifzoda, Tajikistan’s ambassador to Islamabad, for discussions on Afghanistan and efforts to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Ataullah Tarar said four suspects had been arrested within 48 hours of the blast. He said one of the detainees had confessed that the attackers entered Pakistan from Afghanistan and received training there.

According to Tarar, the suspect also claimed that both the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the TTP were involved in planning the attack. He said investigators had found evidence indicating that the operation was directed by TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud through a commander known as Dadullah inside Afghanistan, who then coordinated with an associate named Sajidullah in Pakistan. Tarar said Sajidullah, described as the main suspect, had previously been a member of the Afghan Taliban.

The explosion near Islamabad’s judicial complex killed at least 12 people and injured 27 others. The attack took place shortly before noon on Tuesday, 11 November, in the G-11 area of the capital. Officials said the blast’s impact set several nearby vehicles on fire. Tarar added that heightened security measures prevented the bomber from reaching his intended targets.

One day after the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Parliament that India and the Afghan Taliban were involved. The Taliban authorities have not yet responded to the latest accusations but have previously dismissed similar claims, describing Pakistan’s security challenges as “an internal matter.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the court said the punishments were carried out in the presence of judicial, military and civilian officials, local elders, court visitors and members of the public.

According to recent Taliban court announcements, at least 66 people have been flogged nationwide over the past two weeks.

Despite strong opposition from international organisations to corporal punishment and the mistreatment of detainees, the Taliban continues to administer public floggings, describing the practice as the “implementation of Islamic Sharia.”