Iran Invites Taliban Labour Minister To Tehran To Expand Cooperation

Mujahid made the remarks on Wednesday after reports that a Turkish member of Islamic State had been detained near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. He said such arrests were the result of information shared by the Taliban.

In an audio message to the media, Mujahid said the Taliban had long been aware of the presence of Islamic State members in Pakistan and had previously made this information public. He added that “the nurturing of ISIS must come to an end” and that the group’s safe havens should not be used against any country.

On Monday, Turkiye’s National Intelligence Organization announced it had arrested a senior Islamic State member in an area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the detainee, identified as Yahya, was a senior member of the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, known as ISIS-K.

Turkish intelligence said the suspect was captured in a covert cross-border operation and later transferred to Turkiye. Turkish officials have not said whether the Taliban cooperated in the arrest or disclosed when the detention took place.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry said Hesamuddin Saberi, deputy minister for finance and administration, discussed potential investment opportunities with an Indian delegation. Saberi welcomed the proposal and said the Taliban is prepared to cooperate and provide the necessary facilitation to attract foreign investment in the mining sector.

According to the ministry, the Indian delegation described the Taliban’s conditions for foreign investment in mining as favourable.

The announcement follows earlier criticism by the Taliban over delays in copper extraction at the Aynak copper mine. On November 5, Taliban Minister of Mines and Petroleum Hedayatullah Badri told representatives of the Chinese company contracted to develop the site that the extraction process must be accelerated. The ministry said the company has committed, under the terms of its contract, to fully implement its obligations.

Since returning to power more than four years ago, the Taliban have placed increased emphasis on the extraction and allocation of Afghanistan’s natural resources. The administration has sought to finance a significant portion of its budget through revenues from the mining sector.

Critics, however, say the Taliban are exploiting Afghanistan’s mineral resources in an unprofessional and unlawful manner and argue that the proceeds are being used to consolidate the group’s rule rather than for national development.

Majid Shoja, commander of the Razavi Khorasan Border Guard, said the bodies were handed over to Taliban officials after the completion of legal and administrative procedures at the Dogharoun border crossing. He added that more than 1,600 Afghan migrants suffered from cold exposure last week during heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures along the Taybad border.

Following an earlier report by Afghanistan International, Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Herat, also confirmed that Afghan migrants had died while crossing into Iran. However, he said only three Afghans died at the Kohsan border while attempting what he described as “illegal migration” to Iran.

Local sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that a group of Afghan migrants died inside Iranian territory during an intense cold wave. According to those sources, the bodies of at least 15 people were transferred to the districts of Kohsan and Adraskan in Herat province.

Saeedi, speaking to the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency, disputed those figures and said the death toll stood at three.

Sources said reduced border controls during snowfall often prompt some Afghans to attempt irregular crossings into Iran.

International organisations say rising poverty, unemployment and worsening food insecurity exacerbated by drought and cuts in international aid are driving increasing numbers of Afghans to migrate irregularly to neighbouring countries.

Ahmadze denied the rape charge, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual.

Thomas Welsh, a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh, described the incident on Tuesday as “terrifying and violent”. Ahmadze was also found guilty of making threats and engaging in abusive behaviour.

According to his defence lawyer, Shaun Alexander, Ahmadze was born in Afghanistan and arrived in the UK in 2023 after what was described as a long and difficult journey.

Ahmadze told the court that he had joined the Afghan National Army as a teenager but was later arrested after the Taliban took control of the area. He said he managed to escape from a Taliban prison along with several other detainees, but was shot in the arm while fleeing.

The defence lawyer said a custodial sentence in the case was unavoidable, but warned that Ahmadze could face the risk of deportation to a country where his life would be in danger.

Police Scotland said in a statement that Ahmadze will now face the consequences of his action adding that they hope this conviction and sentence send a clear message that sexual violence has no place in Scotland.

According to the sources, the directive also bans the publication of images and videos from official meetings of government bodies.

On Tuesday, the spokespersons for the Taliban governor in Khost and the provincial police command informed local media that, under instructions from the Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue, they would no longer provide live images or video footage.

In recent days, both offices have halted the publication of live images on social media platforms.

Khost is the 24th province where the Taliban have formally enforced a ban on publishing images of living beings. The restriction is being implemented under Article 17 of the Taliban’s law on the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice.

Since the middle of 2024, the ban has been officially announced and enforced in 24 provinces, including Paktia, Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Farah, Nimruz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Jowzjan, Zabul, Parwan, Kunduz, Bamiyan, Daikundi, Faryab, Panjshir, Laghman, Sar-e Pol, Balkh and Herat.