NRF Leader Urges Iran To Investigate Killings, Calls For Action Against ‘Terrorists’

The court ruled that the allegations against him were unfounded, the sources said.

Relatives confirmed that Khamosh has returned from the provincial centre of Paktika to Jani Khel district and has been reunited with his family.

Khamosh was previously arrested in Jani Khel after remarks he made in class about the importance of modern education, according to local sources. They said he was detained by Taliban morality enforcers and later sentenced to death.

Sources said Khamosh told his students during a lesson that modern sciences were more important than religious instruction, comments that led to his arrest and imprisonment.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said Khamosh had been detained following complaints by religious scholars and morality enforcers in Jani Khel district and, after what the ministry described as a confession, was referred to court.

At the time, the spokesperson said a primary court in Paktika sentenced Khamosh to death on charges of “insulting the Prophet of Islam and Islamic sanctities.”

Khamosh’s relatives rejected those claims, saying he neither insulted the Prophet nor Islamic sanctities and was condemned solely for stressing the value of modern sciences.

Khalilzad has previously travelled to Afghanistan alongside US officials in efforts to secure the release of American detainees held by the Taliban.

In a statement, the Taliban Foreign Ministry said Muttaqi told Khalilzad that following the withdrawal of foreign forces and the end of the war, engagement between the Taliban and the United States has effectively entered a new phase.

Muttaqi added that there are opportunities across several sectors to expand relations between the two sides and that these could be pursued through sustained dialogue.

According to the statement, Khalilzad praised what he described as progress in security and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

It remains unclear whether Khalilzad travelled to Kabul on an official mission or in a personal capacity.

Alireza Bigdeli raised the proposal in a meeting with Hidayatullah Badri, the Taliban’s minister of mines and petroleum, according to a statement posted on X on Saturday by the Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.

The statement said the talks focused on strengthening economic cooperation, expanding bilateral relations and encouraging investment in Afghanistan’s mineral sector. Bigdeli said Iranian companies are ready to invest in Afghanistan’s iron and oil mines.

Badri welcomed the interest of Iranian firms and pledged cooperation with Tehran, the ministry said.

Iran, like most countries, with the exception of Russia, has not formally recognised the Taliban administration but maintains extensive diplomatic and economic engagement with the group.

Earlier, Mahmoud Siadat, head of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said security conditions in Afghanistan had improved and that the environment was now favourable for investment, particularly in mining. He said Qatari, Turkish and Chinese companies were increasing their activities and warned that Iran’s global competitors were moving quickly to secure a foothold in the Afghan market.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the court said both individuals were sentenced to 25 lashes and one year in prison. The punishment was carried out after receiving approval from the head of the Taliban Supreme Court.

The statement did not specify whether the flogging was carried out in public, although the Taliban typically enforce corporal punishments publicly.

The Taliban judiciary describes the flogging of individuals convicted by its courts as the implementation of what it calls “Islamic sharia.”

Despite repeated criticism from international human rights organisations over the use of corporal punishment and the treatment of detainees, the Taliban have continued to impose floggings and other punitive measures across the country.

The statement contradict earlier claims that his death was caused by a gas-cylinder explosion.

Sources close to the Taliban had initially said Mawlawi Noman died when a gas cylinder exploded at his home. However, an eyewitness living near the residence said a second-floor room of the house where Noman and a guest were present at the time was completely destroyed.

The eyewitness described the incident as “highly targeted and calculated,” adding that the force of the blast was inconsistent with a domestic accident.

According to the witness, the guest who was with Mawlawi Noman was also killed in the attack. No official information has been released about the identity of the guest.

The eyewitness further said Taliban forces arrived quickly at the scene and deleted images and videos recorded by residents and neighbours in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Taliban officials have so far made no public comment on the incident. It remains unclear whether the intended target was Mawlawi Noman or the unidentified guest who was with him at the time of the attack.