Five Killed In Cross-Border Attacks From Afghanistan, Says Tajikistan

The comments emerged as part of a public inquiry launched by the UK Ministry of Defence after a BBC investigation reported that members of the Special Air Service (SAS) had killed 54 people under suspicious circumstances during a six-month deployment roughly a decade ago.

The inquiry is examining a series of night raids conducted between mid-2010 and mid-2013, when British forces were operating under the US-led coalition against the Taliban and other insurgents. Although British military police previously investigated allegations of wrongdoing including some involving the SAS, the Ministry of Defence has said those probes did not uncover sufficient evidence to prosecute.

The current inquiry is tasked with determining whether credible information about extrajudicial killings existed, whether military police investigations were properly conducted, and whether any unlawful killings were covered up.

Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, the inquiry’s chair and a senior judge, said it was essential both to hold accountable anyone who broke the law and to clear the names of those who did not.

In newly disclosed confidential testimony released on Monday, a former British officer who served as deputy chief of staff for UK special operations in Afghanistan said the number of enemy fighters reported killed in action consistently exceeded the number of weapons recovered. He said repeated claims that detainees had attempted to seize weapons or detonate grenades after being captured did not appear credible.

He told Oliver Glasgow, the inquiry’s lead counsel, that the incidents amounted to “war crimes,” describing detainees being taken back to raid sites and executed under the pretence that they had attacked British forces.

The officer said he raised his concerns at the time with the commander of UK special forces in Afghanistan, but instead of initiating an investigation, the commander ordered only a review of operational tactics.

He said he regretted not reporting the matter directly to military police, although he eventually did so in 2015. He also suggested the issue was not confined to a few soldiers but appeared more widespread, saying many within the special forces community seemed to know what was happening.

He added that the killing of detainees including, in some instances, toddlers shot in their beds was “not special, not elite, not what we stand for,” and that most personnel would not condone or cover up such actions.

Speaking in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Rehman said the two countries must reassess their approaches and end rising tensions. He said he opposed any conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rehman, who is seen as close to the Afghan Taliban, argued that Islamabad has not been able to improve relations with Kabul through diplomatic efforts. Referring to his recent visit to Afghanistan, he said he had completed his agenda there, but his efforts were not pursued further by the Pakistani government.

He also urged armed groups to end fighting and said Afghanistan should cooperate with Pakistan on this issue. His comments come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban following weeks of border clashes.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering and supporting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an allegation the Taliban has repeatedly denied.

The group said the strike took place on Saturday evening, targeting the Taliban’s Seventh Security District in the provincial capital.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, the front said the clash lasted more than 15 minutes and involved the use of both light and heavy weapons. It added that none of its fighters were injured.

Two local sources separately confirmed to Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s Seventh Security District came under attack on Saturday night.

Taliban officials have not commented on the incident or the reported casualties.

Dar said this was not enough and that the Taliban must either move TTP members away from the shared border or hand them over to Pakistan.

Dar stressed that his country does not, under any circumstances, want Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan’s security. He said Pakistan had proposed that the Afghan side either relocate Pakistani Taliban fighters away from the frontier or surrender them to Islamabad.

He added that he had recently travelled to several countries, including Bahrain, Russia and Belgium, and during official meetings with senior officials in those countries, he had rejected the information they had received regarding the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan as inaccurate, and conveyed to them the realities of both countries. According to him, this new information had been accepted by the European Union and other countries.

The Pakistani foreign minister also urged the Taliban to rethink their governance policies, saying the Taliban’s governing structure consists of two parts: one half that favours peace and another that opposes it.

He added Pakistan can resolve the Afghanistan issue by force, but they do not want to enter “our brothers’ home and kill them”.

The recent deterioration in relations between the Taliban and the Pakistani government has led both sides to exchange increasingly sharp statements.

DHS published the images of individuals who were allowed to remain in the United States under the Biden administration but later carried out acts of violence or other crimes. The department said Americans “do not have to suffer violence from people who should not be here at all.”

According to DHS, the individuals will be removed from the United States. One man on the list was already killed in a confrontation with police.

Jamal Wali – Shooting at US Police

DHS said Jamal Wali, an Afghan national admitted under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” shot and wounded two Virginia police officers during a traffic stop. He was killed by return fire after declaring: “I should have served with the f–king Taliban!”

Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tohidi – Plotting a Terrorist Attack

DHS said Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi, both granted legal status by the Biden administration, were arrested and prosecuted for plotting a terrorist attack in Oklahoma City during the 2024 elections. DHS said they possessed hundreds of rounds of ammunition and had pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Mohammad Kharwin – On the Terrorism Watchlist

Mohammad Kharwin, an Afghan national listed on the terrorism watchlist, was detained by US Border Patrol in 2024. DHS said he was released into the United States under the Biden administration and lived freely for more than a year before being rearrested.

Jawed Ahmadi – Assault

DHS said Jawed Ahmadi, an undocumented Afghan “criminal,” was arrested in 2025 by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and convicted of second-degree assault, despite previously having been authorised to remain in the United States.

Bahrullah Noori – Attempted Sexual Assault

DHS said Bahrullah Noori, another Afghan national who had left the United States, was detained at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and charged with attempting to engage in sexual acts with a minor.

Zabiullah Mohmand – Rape of a Teenage Girl

According to DHS, Zabiullah Mohmand, resettled in Montana under the Biden administration, was charged with raping a teenage girl in a motel room in Missoula.

DHS said the men were “just a few of the criminals who were said to be ‘fully vetted’ by the Biden administration.”

The announcement came shortly after an Afghan suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two US National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. One of the soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, later died of her injuries.

US President Donald Trump said all cases of Afghans who entered the United States during Joe Biden’s presidency must be reviewed again, adding: “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

On Thursday, the US immigration agency said it had immediately suspended processing of all Afghan immigration applications. The US State Department also announced an immediate halt to the issuance of visas for all individuals holding Afghan passports.