Uzbekistan Seizes Afghan-Origin Drugs, Arrests Two Suspects
Uzbekistan’s security authorities said on Wednesday they had seized about five kilograms of narcotics originating from Afghanistan during an operation targeting drug trafficking.
Uzbekistan’s security authorities said on Wednesday they had seized about five kilograms of narcotics originating from Afghanistan during an operation targeting drug trafficking.
According to officials, the drugs were being transported in a vehicle that was stopped by security officers on the Bukhara–Karakul route. A 56-year-old man from the Karakul area and a 52-year-old foreign national were arrested on suspicion of trafficking.
Authorities said the suspects could face prison sentences of up to 20 years if convicted.
Investigators said the narcotics had been smuggled from Afghanistan and stored in a warehouse in Bukhara before being transported.
Uzbekistan’s National Security Service has previously reported large seizures of drugs linked to Afghanistan. In February, authorities said they confiscated 600 kilograms and 12 grams of narcotics valued at about $16.5 million. In that case, traffickers allegedly attempted to smuggle the drugs into Uzbekistan concealed inside bundles of brooms.
Mohammad Reza Bahrami, director general for South Asia at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, travelled to Kabul after a regional meeting on Afghanistan in Tehran. He held talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Iranian and Taliban officials said.
The visit followed the Taliban’s decision not to attend the meeting of special representatives of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and Russia, which was held in Tehran.
In a statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Bahrami briefed Muttaqi in detail on the outcomes of the Tehran conference. Iran’s foreign minister had earlier said the results of the meeting would be conveyed to the Taliban.
According to the statement, Bahrami stressed that relations between Tehran and the Taliban are of great importance to the Islamic Republic.
Muttaqi described relations with Iran as positive and outlined the Taliban administration’s position on the Tehran meeting, though no further details were provided. He said Afghanistan had emerged from a difficult period, was moving rapidly towards development and should no longer be viewed as a problem.
At the conclusion of the Tehran meeting, Iran said in a statement that regional countries were ready to help strengthen stability in Afghanistan if requested by the Taliban authorities. The meeting was attended by Iran’s foreign minister and special representatives for Afghanistan from Pakistan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to the statement, participants emphasised the need for regional convergence to address existing challenges, including issues related to Afghanistan.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the second round of talks among special representatives of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and Russia is scheduled to be held in Islamabad in March 2026.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, has called on religious clerics to promote the preservation of the Taliban administration from their pulpits, saying the Islamic narrative of jihad originated in religious schools.
Speaking on Wednesday at a ceremony for students at a religious seminary, Baradar said clerics “must, alongside their religious duties, also strengthen among the people the spirit of preserving the Islamic system and national interests.”
Baradar said religious seminaries form the foundation of jihad and ideological thought. He said the narrative of the obligation of jihad emerged from madrassas, spread to villages and cities, and developed into action and confrontation that, in his words, “defeated the great armies of disbelief.”
Speaking amid signs of internal differences within the Taliban administration, Baradar added that religious schools “must, under all circumstances, preserve their main and fundamental path.”
His remarks follow a speech a day earlier by Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s minister of higher education, who warned of “distrust” and “divisions” within the Taliban during an address at a jihadist madrassa in Kabul, saying the survival of the administration depends on maintaining unity.
The comments also come days after Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, criticised the group’s treatment of the public in a speech in Khost province last Friday.
In that address, Haqqani denounced what he described as a “government of fear and intimidation,” saying: “We, who were once condemned by the world’s empires, now lack tolerance and instead condemn and humiliate our own people.”
Haqqani urged Taliban officials to treat the population in a manner that would reduce hostility and resentment.
Germany has deported a criminal Afghan refugee to Afghanistan on a regular commercial flight.
This mark the first such individual deportation carried out following a new agreement between the German government and the Taliban administration, according to the German newspaper Bild.
The report said the Afghan man travelled alone and was handed over to Taliban authorities at Kabul airport early on Wednesday.
Bild said the deportation represents a new phase in Germany’s policy on returning Afghan nationals, following contacts between Berlin and the Taliban. European Union officials have previously confirmed that the bloc has been in contact with Taliban authorities at a “technical level” regarding the deportation of refugees.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild that deporting criminals and individuals considered dangerous is in Germany’s national interest. He said anyone who commits a crime in Germany forfeits the right to remain in the country.
“Deportations of Afghan nationals have begun and will be expanded step by step,” Dobrindt was quoted as saying.
Germany suspended deportations to Afghanistan in 2021 after the Taliban returned to power. Last year, Berlin returned a number of Afghan migrants indirectly. In July this year, the German government directly deported 81 Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
According to Bild, deportations are now being carried out not only through large charter flights but also via regular commercial flights. The report said some individuals classified as dangerous criminals will be deported individually to Kabul under the new approach.
Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s minister of higher education, warned of growing “distrust” and “discord” within the group during a speech in Kabul.
He said that the survival of the Taliban administration depends on maintaining unity.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Taliban’s central jihadist madrassa in the capital, Nadeem urged Taliban members not to be swayed by what he described as “enemy propaganda.” He said there were efforts under way to sow division within the ranks and told fighters to ignore the messaging of what he called the “enemies of Islam.”
Nadeem, who is considered close to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, again stressed the need for obedience and allegiance to the leader. His remarks followed recent criticism by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, who has spoken publicly about intimidation and the widening gap between the authorities and the public.
The higher education minister said the Taliban could preserve its system only through unity and adherence to its leadership, warning that internal divisions and a growing distance from the population could weaken the administration.
This is not the first time Nadeem has raised concerns about internal rifts. He has previously warned of tensions and disagreements among senior Taliban figures and their potential impact on the group’s hold on power.
His comments come days after Haqqani again criticised the Taliban’s approach towards the public in a speech in Khost province. In that address, Haqqani denounced what he called a “government of fear and intimidation,” saying: “We, who were once condemned by the world’s empires, now lack tolerance and instead condemn and humiliate our own people.”
Haqqani urged Taliban officials to treat the population in a manner that would reduce hostility and resentment.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Commerce said Kyrgyzstan’s minister of trade arrived in Kabul on Tuesday at the head of a high-level delegation aimed at expanding economic cooperation and boosting bilateral trade.
According to a statement from the ministry, the delegation includes deputy ministers from Kyrgyzstan’s ministries of trade, energy and transport, as well as several private sector representatives. The visit is taking place at the official invitation of the Taliban’s Ministry of Commerce.
The delegation is scheduled to hold talks with a number of Taliban officials during the visit. It is also expected to take part in a trade conference and bilateral business meetings, and to visit industrial facilities and other commercial operations in Afghanistan.
The visit follows remarks made in June by Kyrgyzstan’s ambassador in Kabul, who said during a meeting with Taliban Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi that a delegation led by a deputy minister from Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy would soon travel to Afghanistan.
At the time, Azizi said that while a delegation at the deputy minister level would be welcome, agreements could be signed in a more coordinated manner and at a higher level if the Kyrgyz delegation were led by the minister of economy and trade.