Afghan Resistance Leader Pledges Justice After Tehran Assassination

According to figures released by the commission, Iran also deported 199 Afghan migrants on the same day. They were transferred to Afghanistan via the Islam Qala and Pul-e-Abrisham border crossings.

Taliban officials said all of the migrants deported from Pakistan and Iran lacked valid residence documents. Both countries detain and deport thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants on a daily basis as part of ongoing enforcement measures.

Last week, the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Refugees said more than three million Afghan migrants have been deported from neighbouring countries and returned to Afghanistan during the current calendar year. Abdul Muttalib Haqqani said the majority were expelled from Pakistan and Iran.

Findings by Afghanistan International indicate that some Afghan returnees have faced arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings after being forcibly returned from Iran. Documented cases point to a recurring pattern of violence against returnees, with victims’ relatives holding the Taliban responsible.

He also compared the killing of General Ikramuddin Sari to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, saying Iran must “cut off the hand of terrorists” from its territory.

Massoud made the remarks on Sunday, during an online memorial ceremony for General Sari. He attributed the assassinations of former Afghan military personnel in Iran to what he described as the Afghan people’s “well-known enemies.”

He said the killing of General Sari should be treated with the same seriousness as the assassination of Ismail Haniya, the former head of Hamas’s political bureau, in Tehran, adding that Afghans expect a comparable response from Iranian authorities. Massoud also reaffirmed his commitment to continued resistance against the Taliban until what he described as the “dawn of hope” emerges in Afghanistan.

General Ikramuddin Sari was assassinated in Tehran last Wednesday. Mohammad Amin Almas, a former battalion commander in the Afghan army, was also killed in the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination, but anti-Taliban groups have accused the Taliban of involvement.

Hossein Khosh-Eghbal, the governor of Tehran, said on Saturday that authorities are investigating the killing of General Sari, a former Afghan police commander. “We are reviewing the case, but have not yet reached a conclusion,” he said. Speaking to Ensaf News, he added that the findings would be announced on Sunday.

However, Tehran police have not released any information on the investigation, despite earlier assurances.

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.