US Pauses Visa Issuance For Afghan Passport Holders

The feature provides new information to users by uncovering the true locations of account holders, including Taliban officials, their supporters, and senior figures from the former Afghan government.

Afghanistan International reviewed the accounts of several political figures, including Taliban officials, their supporters, and former officials of the previous government. The findings reveal new information about their locations.

The feature exposes the locations of users who claim to be in Afghanistan or another country and engage in activity related to that country, but whose accounts show a different location than what they claim.

Our review shows that accounts operating from European countries such as the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands are systematically promoting pro-Taliban messaging.

The new X feature shows that the account of Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, which has more than one million followers, is managed from the United States. The account has been active since 2017.

No reports have emerged of Mujahid travelling to the United States, but the account indicating a US location raises several possibilities: that someone in America manages his X account, that a US-based user has recently accessed it, or that Mujahid is using a VPN. The last possibility is considered unlikely because Afghanistan does not face significant internet restrictions and widespread VPN use is uncommon.

The spokesperson for Hibatullah Akhundzada uses an iPhone, a high-end Apple device considered one of the world’s most advanced smartphones. The Taliban often treat Western technologies and modern symbols cautiously and typically promote the image of a simple lifestyle for their leaders. However, the iPhone is globally recognised as a symbol of Western capitalism and luxury.

The new X feature also shows that the official account of the office of Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, is being managed from the United Kingdom. The office has not announced any visits to London by its officials.

The platform further shows that the account of the Taliban embassy in Moscow is managed from Austria. According to X, the account has been accessed via the US Apple App Store.

The location of the account belonging to Ahmadullah Wasiq, head of the Taliban’s Physical Education Directorate, also shows the United States.

Taliban Negotiator’s Location: India

X’s data also indicates that the account of Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is active from India.

Earlier this month, Balkhi took part in Taliban–Pakistan negotiations in Istanbul. His account’s location is noteworthy because Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that the Afghan Taliban and India are working together to support armed groups opposed to Islamabad.

Relations between the Taliban and India have recently strengthened to an unprecedented degree, with an increase in Taliban officials travelling to India.

Pro-Taliban Promoters Based in Europe

Our review also shows that several X accounts operating from European countries are systematically promoting Taliban narratives.

One user under the name “Abdul Salam Mujahid,” whose profile shows a photo of Taliban defence minister Mullah Yaqoob, has more than 7,000 followers and is listed by X as active in France and connected through the French App Store. The account has changed its name five times.

Another account named “D Hafiz Anas Haqqani Winawi,” which primarily posts photos, speeches and interviews of Anas Haqqani of the Haqqani Network, is also listed as active in France. It has more than 1,400 followers and has been active since late last year.

According to X, another account named “D Islami Emirate,” whose profile photo features Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, is active somewhere in Europe. The account has more than 1,200 followers and regularly publishes and reposts content from Taliban officials and media outlets.

Another pro-Taliban user named “Shaheen Durrani,” whose background image shows the Taliban flag, is active in Norway. The account has more than 10,000 followers and consistently posts photos, videos and text praising the Taliban and its fighters.

A user named “Syeda Sadat,” with more than 11,000 followers, claims to be located in Afghanistan, but X shows her account operating from the Netherlands. Her profile and background photos feature young girls holding Taliban flags. Her posts celebrate the Taliban’s expanding regional relations and criticise the group’s political and military opponents.

Similarly, numerous other accounts are active on X that the platform shows are operated from outside Afghanistan, mainly from Europe and Arab countries. Their pro-Taliban posts receive thousands of views daily.

Accounts of Former Afghan Government Officials

Afghanistan International also reviewed the accounts of former Afghan government officials.

X previously indicated that the account of former president Ashraf Ghani was managed from the Netherlands. However, when we checked early Thursday morning, his account location had changed to the United Kingdom.

Ghani fled to the United Arab Emirates in August 2021. There have been no reports of him travelling to the Netherlands or the UK. X also shows that his account was accessed via the UK App Store.

The new feature also shows the account of Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, as being operated from the United Kingdom. No reports have surfaced of him visiting London in the past four years. Abdullah has largely travelled between Kabul and New Delhi, so it is possible the account is managed by one of his colleagues in the UK.

X also shows that Hanif Atmar, former foreign minister and national security adviser, is in Germany.

According to the platform, the accounts of Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, and former vice-president Amrullah Saleh are active from somewhere in Central Asia. Unconfirmed reports suggest both men are residing mainly in Tajikistan.

Possibility of Error

In the first hours after the new feature was activated, some users raised concerns about its accuracy. The location information appears on users’ pages under “About this account.” X also warns that the displayed location may be influenced by recent travel, temporary stays or the use of a VPN.

Nevertheless, Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, responded to users’ doubts by writing on X: “This information is 99 per cent accurate.”

X introduced the new feature as part of its efforts to increase transparency and identify users operating under false identities to advance political agendas, scams or attempts to gain notoriety.

In the United States, the feature has already exposed users who claimed to be in the country but were actually located in India, Thailand and Bangladesh.

NBC News, citing former X employees, reported that the idea for this feature dates back to at least 2018 but was repeatedly rejected. Former staff said user-location data may be inaccurate or manipulated using widely available tools such as VPNs.

Previously, X displayed only the locations users chose to share manually. It remains unclear what data the platform is using to determine users’ true locations.

At a ceremony marking the completion of their training, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said the group would not allow any country to violate Afghanistan’s territory and stated that the Taliban was prepared to respond to “any form of aggression.”

In a statement issued Thursday, the ministry said Baradar underscored the need to protect Afghanistan’s borders and warned neighbouring states not to test the group’s resolve. He said the “enemies of the country” should not view Afghanistan’s territory or its sovereignty with hostile intent.

During the event, Taliban commando units demonstrated helicopter operations, aerial manoeuvres and ground-combat drills. According to the ministry, the graduates had received “ideological, intellectual and military training” and were prepared to make “any sacrifice” to defend the country’s territorial integrity.

The ministry added that any force acting with hostile intentions toward Afghanistan would face a “decisive response.”

The announcement comes after the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Khost, Paktika and Kunar provinces that killed nine children and a woman. The group said it would respond “at an appropriate time.”

Pakistan’s military has denied conducting the strikes, saying it publicly announces any operations it undertakes.

Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Earlier, three rounds of talks in Doha and Istanbul following heavy border clashes in October ended without progress.

Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the remarks while commenting on the shooting of two US National Guard members in Washington and the killing of three Chinese nationals on the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border.

At a weekly press briefing on Friday, Andrabi said these incidents underscore the persistent challenge of transnational terrorism. He added that Pakistan has faced numerous attacks over the past two decades that, according to Islamabad, have had links to Afghan-based militants.

The comments came despite repeated accusations by Afghanistan’s former government that Pakistan had long supported the Taliban and provided sanctuary to insurgent groups, claims Islamabad has consistently denied.

Referring to the attack on Chinese workers in Tajikistan, which Dushanbe said was carried out using a drone launched from Afghanistan, Andrabi stressed that Afghan territory must not become a threat to neighbouring or regional countries. The Taliban condemned the killings, saying unnamed actors were attempting to sow distrust among states in the region.

Andrabi also said the shooting of US soldiers by a suspected Afghan national highlighted the global nature of the threat posed by terrorism, urging the international community to strengthen cooperation. He said Pakistan would continue working with the United States to counter terrorism.

The spokesperson said the current ceasefire between Pakistan and the Taliban was “not sustainable,” noting that it was never a conventional agreement between two states. One key condition, he said, was that Afghan soil should not be used for attacks against Pakistan, yet attacks continued, including those involving Afghan citizens.

The ceasefire was brokered in Doha in October by Qatar and Türkiye following Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kabul, and subsequent Taliban retaliation along the border. Andrabi said the agreement was not being upheld in practice.

He strongly rejected Taliban claims that Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has training centres inside Pakistan, calling the allegations “baseless” and accusing the Taliban of trying to shift responsibility for terrorism originating from their own territory.

The Taliban said Pakistani strikes on 25 November killed nine children and a woman in Gurbuz district of Khost province. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika that injured four civilians.

He said the Taliban would “respond at the appropriate time.” Pakistan has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have sharply deteriorated amid rising border tensions and escalating militant activity on both sides of the frontier.

In a statement on Friday, the UN called on Washington to ensure that people seeking protection are able to access US territory and receive due process.

Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said refugees are entitled to protection under international law and must be given proper legal procedures.

Eujin Byun, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, stressed that people in need of protection must be allowed to enter the country and have their asylum claims fairly assessed. She added that the vast majority of refugees are law-abiding members of their host communities.

Byun said the UN is urging refugee-hosting countries to reconsider restrictive decisions at a time when global displacement is at record levels.

They said the bloc is prepared to support international efforts aimed at ensuring peace and development in the country.

The remarks came during a CSTO summit held on Thursday, 27 November, in Bishkek, attended by the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

In a statement published after the meeting, the CSTO reaffirmed its commitment to helping shape a stable Afghanistan and said it was ready to participate in broader international initiatives focused on peacebuilding and development.

Earlier, at a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon praised a regional plan to strengthen Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan. Despite maintaining political and economic ties with the Taliban authorities, Central Asian states remain deeply concerned about extremist infiltration and cross-border attacks.

On Wednesday, Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry reported that three Chinese workers had been killed in an attack launched from Afghan territory. According to Tajik officials, a drone strike hit a worksite belonging to the Shahin SM gold-mining company in Khatlon province.

China Urges Citizens to Leave Border Region

The Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe confirmed that three Chinese nationals were killed in an armed attack along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border. It urged Chinese citizens to leave the border area and said Beijing had requested a full investigation by Tajik authorities. The embassy did not identify those responsible.

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry condemned the killings, saying preliminary information suggested the attack had been carried out by elements seeking to create instability and distrust among regional states.

Earlier this year, China and the five Central Asian republics jointly called on the Taliban to ensure Afghanistan is free of terrorist groups.