China & Pakistan Urge Taliban To Prevent Terror Groups Using Afghan Soil

Three residents of the Samti area in Chah Ab district were killed in the fighting, the sources said. One guard working for the Taliban-affiliated mining company was also killed. At least five other people were wounded.

According to the sources, residents captured two guards employed by the company and stormed the compound of a Taliban-linked firm in the Dara-e-Fazel area. Protesters also seized buildings belonging to two Taliban-affiliated companies, forcing company staff to flee the area.

Information obtained by Afghanistan International indicates that residents have longstanding grievances against the mining firms. The companies are reportedly operating under contracts linked to Bashar Noorzai, a convicted drug trafficker widely regarded as one of the Taliban’s key financial backers.

Local residents said they are protesting environmental damage and water shortages caused by what they described as the companies’ “unrestrained” gold extraction activities.

The clashes follow similar unrest on Friday, when residents of Chah Ab district confronted Taliban members who had entered residential areas to begin gold mining operations.

The Taliban have placed growing emphasis on mining as a source of revenue since returning to power, but critics say the sector lacks transparency and has fuelled local tensions in several provinces, including Takhar.

However, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs said the current political power structure is “stable and balanced” and that opposition movements have been eliminated.

Speaking on Sunday, at a turban-tying ceremony at a religious school in Kandahar, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar claimed that during four years of Taliban rule there has been “strong participation” and that public satisfaction has increased through administrative transparency, economic infrastructure development and the provision of public services. He said the current political authority has been kept “stable and balanced” and that parallel and opposing political groups have disappeared.

The Taliban official also said Afghanistan is now politically and economically a safe country for investment.

The remarks come despite the Taliban banning the activities of political parties and all forms of civil activism. Previously, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice declared political activity under the name of parties illegal, and a day later dissolved the Political Parties Directorate within the ministry and dismissed its staff.

Before the fall of the previous government, more than 72 political parties were officially registered in Afghanistan.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have excluded political and social groups from the structure of power and allocated government positions to their own members. The group has accused former government officials and former jihadi leaders of collaborating with foreign forces, while claiming that its government is inclusive.

Critics say the suppression of dissenting voices, the absence of independent institutions and the arrest of political and civil activists show that there is no genuine space for political participation in the country. Over the past four years, reports have emerged of arrests, torture and mistreatment of media critics and human rights activists.

Alongside these restrictions, the Taliban have also largely excluded women from social life. The group has barred women and girls from secondary schools and universities, from working in many institutions and from participating in social and civic activities. These measures have drawn strong reactions from the international community and human rights organisations and are widely seen as excluding half of Afghan society from meaningful participation in the country’s future.

According to the sources, the decision reverses part of an earlier directive issued by the Taliban leader and reflects concerns over a lack of experienced and specialised staff within key departments.

An official letter, a copy of which was obtained by Afghanistan International, says the order was issued based on a verbal instruction from Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. The document states that personnel placed on active reserve may be reassigned to duty if operational needs arise.

The letter specifies that rehiring these individuals does not require approval from the security vetting commission. However, Haqqani stressed that redeployment is permitted only if the relevant department faces staffing shortages and requires skilled and experienced personnel.

The document outlines conditions for reinstatement, stating that individuals must have religious, modern or technical education and that their reappointment must not conflict with existing Taliban decrees and procedures. It adds that nominations must be based on assessed needs and made at the recommendation of the relevant authority.

The document further says those eligible for redeployment must not have committed any criminal offence during the period between being placed on active reserve and their reinstatement.

Responsibility for implementing the order has been assigned to the administrative deputy of the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, while the ministry’s general audit department has been tasked with overseeing compliance.

Sources said the Interior Ministry has faced serious staffing shortages after sidelining a number of professional personnel, prompting Taliban officials to reconsider earlier decisions.

Afghanistan International previously reported that the Taliban leader had ordered the removal of 20 precent of staff from the ministries of interior, defence and intelligence, transferring them to active reserve. That report was based on internal documents from the institutions.

According to a report by Aaj News, the meeting was held on Sunday, and focused on challenges facing bilateral trade and ways to resume operations at closed border crossings.

The talks were led by Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Sayed Karim Hashemi, acting head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce.

Participants agreed to establish a 12-member joint committee, with six representatives from each side. The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for January 6 at the Torkham border crossing, where members will assess the feasibility of reopening trade routes and explore ways to reduce existing barriers.

Traders from both countries expressed hope that the committee’s work would ease trade disruptions and allow the more orderly resumption of the movement of goods across border crossings.

Key border routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed since heightened tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan in late 2025.

The prolonged closures have caused significant economic losses for traders on both sides of the border, according to business groups.

Nasir Ahmad Andisha said Akhundzada disapproves of the repeated visits to Kabul by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy for Afghanistan, but is effectively unable to prevent them.

“Drones in the sky and Khalilzad on the ground are keeping Hibatullah Akhundzada under watch,” Andisha told Afghanistan International. He added that the Taliban leader has become “like a ghost” in Kandahar and no longer trusts those around him.

Afghan airspace beyond Taliban control

Andisha’s remarks come as reports of increased drone activity over Afghanistan continue. Taliban officials have repeatedly acknowledged that the country’s airspace is not fully under their control.

In November 2025, Zabihullah Mujahid said US drones were still patrolling Afghan airspace, adding that such flights have continued since the Taliban returned to power and often enter Afghanistan through neighbouring countries.

In a recent incident, sources close to the Taliban said an unidentified flying object crashed on Thursday, January 1, in Maidan Wardak province. The object came down in Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital, though it remains unclear which country it belonged to or what caused the crash.

Internal fractures within the Taliban

Andisha also pointed to growing internal divisions within the Taliban, saying recent reshuffles and purges indicate Akhundzada’s authority is weakening.

In a post on X, Andisha said changes within the Taliban suggest the group is moving towards intensified internal purges. He said Akhundzada’s control appears to be diminishing as rival factions gain strength.

In recent weeks, the Taliban leader has replaced several officials across key institutions, including provincial governors, corps commanders and other local authorities.

Khalilzad’s visits to Kabul

Andisha said Khalilzad’s repeated trips to Kabul have further unsettled the Taliban leader. Although Akhundzada dislikes what Andisha described as “back-to-back visits”, he is effectively powerless to stop them.

Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on December 28, 2025, and met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister. While Khalilzad has described his travel as personal, he has previously visited Afghanistan alongside US officials to help secure the release of American detainees held by the Taliban.

The US State Department told Afghanistan International this week that Khalilzad is not a US government employee and does not represent the United States, describing his activities and visits as personal.

Regional concerns

Andisha also referred to recent international developments, including the US operation in Venezuela, which he said had heightened concerns among authoritarian leaders. Former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef earlier described the US move as a warning to other governments.

According to Andisha, these developments have contributed to Akhundzada’s growing isolation and mistrust, reinforcing what he described as an atmosphere of surveillance and internal tension at the top of the Taliban leadership.