1 Million Afghans Received Aid In 2025, Says Trust Fund

Indrika Ratwatte, deputy head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told a meeting with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s minister of refugees and repatriation, that the large-scale return of migrants had increased Afghanistan’s population by about 10 percent in a short period.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Taliban Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said Ratwatte reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to assisting Afghans in need. He said UN agencies focused in 2025 on preventing a deepening humanitarian crisis by providing aid to returnees and other vulnerable groups.

Ratwatte, who also oversees humanitarian coordination, stressed the need for stronger cooperation with Taliban-run institutions to address the challenges facing returnees and internally displaced people. According to the ministry, he proposed measures to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance through Afghanistan–Pakistan border crossings and said coordination would continue with the Ministry of Refugees and other Taliban bodies to assess needs in the coming year.

Abdul Kabir thanked the United Nations for its support in 2025 and said an emergency winter assistance plan for returnees had been prepared. He also called for increased UN aid, adding that his ministry, with support from traders and charitable individuals, has launched programmes to assist those returning to Afghanistan.

Separately, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said at least 1.8 million Afghan migrants returned to the country in 2025, warning that returnees from Iran and Pakistan face “distinct and unique challenges” once back in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Kremlin said the two leaders reviewed regional matters with Afghanistan in mind, without providing further details. The call, it added, reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Tajikistan.

The discussion comes amid heightened security concerns along Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan. Tajik authorities say they have faced recent threats originating from Afghan territory.

Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said on December 25 that an armed clash occurred after militants infiltrated the country from Afghanistan, killing three members of a “terrorist organisation” and two Tajik border guards.

The press office of the Tajik presidency also confirmed earlier this month that two attacks launched from Afghanistan killed five people. Following those incidents, Rahmon ordered security institutions to assess the situation and consider measures to strengthen border security.

Against this backdrop, Rahmon on December 24 inaugurated a tank training ground and four new outposts along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban leader, said deputies and ministers of the Taliban administration undertook 99 overseas visits during the year for economic, trade and diplomatic purposes.

More than 60 Taliban figures, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, remain on United Nations sanctions lists. However, the UN has granted travel exemptions in some cases, allowing senior Taliban officials to travel abroad.

In a post on X marking the end of the 2025 calendar year, Mujahid said the Taliban had made what he described as “good progress” in diplomacy and relations with other countries.

Increase in Taliban Forces

In the same statement, Mujahid said the number of trained personnel in the Taliban Ministry of Defence had exceeded 181,000 in 2025.

He added that during the year the Taliban also trained 100,300 police personnel across security, criminal, border and logistics sectors.

The warnings were voiced during an online session hosted by the Pakistan Research and Security Studies Centre on Monday, which brought together policymakers, customs officials, traders and experts from both countries.

Khan Jan Alokozay, head of the Pakistan–Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the continued closure of border crossings and suspension of trade risk further exacerbating regional instability.

Fazal Moqeem Khan, a former chamber of commerce and industry president, called for the establishment of cross-border economic zones to enable traders and producers on both sides to cooperate and revive bilateral trade. He warned that unilateral or short-term trade measures are unsustainable and ultimately weaken both economies.

Mujeeb Shinwari, head of the All-Pakistan Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association, highlighted the human cost of repeated border closures, saying border communities suffer the most because their livelihoods are directly tied to cross-border trade. He said persistent disruptions have paralysed local economies and further eroded incomes in these areas.

Naqeebullah Safi, executive director of the Kabul office of the Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed that trade should be kept separate from politics. He said low-income and border communities have been disproportionately affected and warned that prolonged closures could permanently distance the markets of Afghanistan and Pakistan from one another.

Ibrahim Shams, a former vice president of the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, said long-term trade blockades tend to increase insecurity rather than reduce it, with ordinary citizens bearing the heaviest burden.

Mohammad Ibrar Aimal, an Afghan researcher, said sustained disruptions have halted production, disrupted supply chains and caused job losses, particularly in agriculture and small industry sectors across Pakistan, Afghanistan and the wider region.

Ahmad Shah Yarzada, an Afghan trader, called for a joint appeal to normalise trade and economic activity, led collectively by traders, tribal elders and border communities on both sides. He said repeated disruptions in Pakistan–Afghanistan trade have pushed many Afghan companies to turn instead to Iran and Central Asia.

Participants also raised concerns about the lack of organised and coordinated cooperation between chambers of commerce in the two countries. They emphasised the need to strengthen private-sector coordination and pursue more systematic advocacy to address the challenges facing cross-border trade.

Jabbar Ali Zakeri, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Railway Authority, discussed the proposal during a meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, in Kabul. Zakeri said Iran is interested in connecting to China through Afghanistan’s rail network and, in turn, linking China with Europe.

The meeting was held on Tuesday at the Sapidar Palace in Kabul. Zakeri called for the formation of a joint committee to advance cooperation and expand the railway network between the two sides.

According to Iranian media reports, Zakeri presented a proposal for a new transit railway route running from Herat in western Afghanistan to China. The plan envisages extending the railway from Herat to Balkh and then toward the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province, ultimately connecting Iran to China through Afghan territory.

The proposal comes as trade between Iran and China is currently conducted mainly via maritime routes, which officials say involve higher costs, longer transit times and complications linked to international sanctions.

Tasnim News Agency reported that Afghanistan’s geographic position as a natural corridor between Central Asia, South Asia and Iran makes it central to the project.

Baradar welcomed the proposal, saying he had discussed the project’s value and economic importance with Iran’s vice president about three years ago and had shared relevant assessments at the time.

He ordered that a joint committee be established as soon as possible and instructed officials to begin practical work on the project without delay.