Afghan Ex-Commander To Trump: Help Us Return & Battle Taliban Rule

He did not elaborate on the nature of those challenges but said the Taliban were nonetheless in control of affairs in Afghanistan.

In an interview with India Today ahead of his two-day visit to New Delhi, Putin also said the Taliban had taken action against terrorist groups, including ISIS. His comments appeared to downplay concerns previously expressed by Russian officials about the Taliban’s links to Arab and Central Asian militant networks.

Putin arrived in India on Thursday to a warm welcome from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who personally greeted him at the aircraft. The visit proceeded despite US pressure on India to scale back engagement with Moscow.

During the interview in Moscow, Putin set aside warnings from senior Russian diplomats, including Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky, who had recently said terrorism in Afghanistan and the Middle East remained a serious and evolving threat. Lyubinsky noted that threats from international terrorist organizations had intensified.

Concerns have grown in the region following the recent killing of five Chinese citizens near the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border. Tajikistan said the attacks were organized from Afghan territory and called on the Taliban to stop such incidents. Chinese nationals working in Tajikistan were targeted by drones, and the Taliban say they are working with Dushanbe to identify those responsible.

Recognition of the Taliban

Putin is the first leader of a major UN Security Council member state to recognize the Taliban administration. In the interview, he defended the group’s performance on counterterrorism and drug trafficking, areas that Western governments cite as major obstacles to recognition.

Western nations have also linked recognition to improvements in human rights, particularly women’s rights and access to education.

The two Indian women journalists interviewing Putin raised concerns about the Taliban’s restrictions on women, pointing to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent trip to India, during which female journalists were barred from attending his press conference. The decision sparked strong criticism among Indian media and opposition figures.

Putin said maintaining contact with the Taliban was essential in order to influence developments in Afghanistan. Referring to the controversy over the press conference, he said Muttaqi’s presence in Delhi had allowed women journalists to express their objections directly to him.

He said the Taliban could not preserve their system using only the weapons left behind by the United States.

Speaking on Thursday, Mujahid said the Taliban needed to develop the capacity to counter what he described as the “enemy’s” advanced weapons. He added that modern scientific knowledge was essential, arguing that it would prevent “criminals” from viewing Afghanistan “with ill intent.”

Mujahid also claimed that unlike in the past when Pakistan’s border closures led to shortages and price spikes in Afghan markets there had been no recent shortages and only slight price increases. He reiterated that trade routes with Pakistan would remain closed until Islamabad provided firm assurances that the crossings would not be used as instruments of political or economic pressure.

Sami Sadat, the former Deputy Chief of the Afghan Army, said Safi had led counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and ISIS-K in Afghanistan and argued that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should immediately release him and issue an apology.

DHS announced on Wednesday, December 3, that Jahan Shah Safi, an Afghan refugee transferred to the United States after 2021, had been arrested in Virginia on suspicion of ties to ISIS-K.

Sadat wrote on X on Thursday that Safi had been one of Afghanistan’s most effective intelligence officers, serving in Kunar province and leading operations against al-Qaida and ISIS-K. He said describing Safi as a terrorist amounted to a betrayal of wartime allies.

Sadat added that he personally knew Safi, noting that Safi’s father had fought against Soviet forces. He also criticised DHS, saying the department had failed to recognise Safi’s record of service.

All five detainees are members of a single family from Panjshir. The men identified as Shermullah, Gulbuddin, Aleem, Jan Mohammad and Suleiman had served as soldiers and officers under the former Afghan government.

Sources in Parwan said the arrests took place on Thursday. The detainees include two brothers, their nephew and two cousins from a Panjshiri family originally from the Roy Dara area of Shotul district in Panjshir.

After the Taliban returned to power, the men had travelled to Iran in search of work but were forced to return amid increasing pressure on Afghan migrants there.

Over the past four years, the Taliban have arrested hundreds of residents from Panjshir.

The individuals received between 10 and 39 lashes, in addition to prison terms ranging from six months to four years.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Supreme Court said the Kabul Primary Court for Counter-Narcotics had flogged 15 defendants accused of selling and trafficking tablet-k, alcohol and hashish.

In a separate statement, the court said three people were flogged by the Janikhel district primary court in Paktia province for “using counterfeit money.”

Data compiled by Afghanistan International shows that at least 53 people across the country have been flogged over the past week on various charges.

The Taliban continue to carry out corporal punishments despite repeated objections from international organizations that regard flogging and other physical penalties as forms of torture.

The Taliban say public flogging constitutes the implementation of Islamic Sharia.