Taliban Seeks Stronger Political, Economic Ties With EU

At a press briefing, Andrabi declined to discuss details of the recent Pakistan–Taliban talks in Saudi Arabia but said the closures were driven solely by security concerns. He stressed that Islamabad has no dispute with the people of Afghanistan and has kept the border open for humanitarian aid, reflecting what he described as Pakistan’s “positive approach” toward Afghans.

He said the border would stay shut “until we receive credible assurances that terrorists or violent elements will not be allowed to cross into Pakistan.”

According to Geo News, when asked about the discussions in Saudi Arabia, Andrabi referred to Türkiye’s efforts to ease tensions and suggested that a Turkish delegation had not yet travelled to Pakistan due to insufficient cooperation from the Taliban.

He also discussed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, saying both leaders expressed support for the Afghan people and urged the Taliban to honour their international commitments.

Islamabad maintains that militants based in Afghanistan are carrying out attacks in Pakistan and says the Taliban have not responded effectively to repeated requests to act against them. The Taliban reject the accusations.

On Thursday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said trade routes between the two countries would reopen only when Pakistan guarantees that border crossings will not be used as tools of political or economic pressure. He added that Taliban is capable of meeting its needs through other countries.

Speaking to Afghanistan International, Ziaulhaq Safi said his brother not only had no ties to ISIS but had actively fought against the group while serving in Afghanistan’s security forces. He said the family is working to clear their name after the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Safi’s arrest on Wednesday. Safi is the third Afghan national detained in the US on terrorism-related accusations.

Ziaulhaq Safi said his brother had fought ISIS terrorists during operations in Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman provinces adding that he had been wounded twice in clashes with the group. He said the accusation that their father had been linked to ISIS, and that Jahan Shah had financially supported him, was “completely untrue,” noting that their father served as governor of Kunar in the early years of the former Afghan republic, later fell ill and died in February 2022.

He said: “We live here, and my brother has his own life in the United States,” insisting that his brother had no connection to ISIS or its affiliates.

According to his brother, Jahan Shah served in the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar and was the NDS chief for Kunar at the time Afghanistan’s previous government collapsed.

He urged US authorities to reassess the allegations carefully.

Rahmatullah Nabil, former NDS director, and General Sami Sadat, leader of the Afghanistan United Front, also criticised the DHS accusations. They described Safi as one of the most active and effective officers in Afghanistan’s former intelligence service and confirmed that he had been an anti-ISIS operative.

In an open letter, General Abdul Raqib Mubariz wrote that many former Afghan military personnel now refugees in the United States do not wish to remain in exile and would prefer to go back and fight for their country’s liberation.

He condemned the recent attack carried out by an Afghan suspect in Washington, D.C., stressing that such incidents should not be attributed to the wider Afghan community. Mubariz said that, given the reaction to the attack, Afghans’ goal was not to stay in the United States but to see Washington play a role in enabling Afghanistan’s freedom.

Mubariz wrote that this time, the battle will not require American soldiers on the ground, saying Afghans need only material and political support and are capable of fighting for their own freedom.

He concluded by referencing Trump’s stated efforts to promote global peace and urged him to use his influence to support Afghans seeking to reclaim their country.

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.