Pakistan Names Representatives To Afghanistan Border Management Committee

According to statements issued on Tuesday by the Taliban Supreme Court, a primary court in Herat province flogged eight people on Monday, January 5, on charges of producing, buying and selling alcoholic beverages.

In a separate case, a Taliban court in Ahmad Khel district of Paktia province publicly flogged one person on charges of currency counterfeiting.

The court said each of the accused received between 30 and 39 lashes, carried out in public and in the presence of Taliban officials and local residents.

The announcement follows a statement issued a day earlier in which the Taliban Supreme Court said lower courts had publicly flogged 16 people in the provinces of Parwan, Kabul, Kunar and Balkh.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have reinstated public corporal punishment, including floggings and executions, a practice that has drawn repeated condemnation from international human rights organisations and the United Nations.

The Taliban say the punishments are carried out in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

In statements issued on Monday, the Taliban Supreme Court said those punished received between 10 and 39 lashes each and were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year to three years and one month.

According to the court, 12 people in Parwan province were flogged on charges related to buying and selling drugs. In Kabul, one woman was punished on charges of extramarital relations, while one man in Balkh province received the same punishment on similar charges. In Kunar province, two people were flogged after being convicted of sexual relations between men.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have reinstated public corporal punishment, including floggings and executions, under decrees attributed to their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Human rights organisations, the United Nations and several governments have repeatedly condemned the use of public corporal punishment in Afghanistan, describing it as a violation of international human rights standards.

The Taliban, however, defend the practice, saying the punishments are carried out in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

The violence followed confrontations in the Samti area of Chah Ab district, where residents have opposed what they describe as unregulated gold mining by companies linked to the Taliban. Sources told Afghanistan International that at least three local residents and one Taliban member have been killed so far, while the number of injured has risen to 16.

Local sources said tensions between residents and Taliban-linked companies remain high and that the situation is rapidly deteriorating. Videos obtained by Afghanistan International show large plumes of smoke rising from areas where clashes were reported.

As protests spread and fighting intensified, officials associated with the mining companies fled the area and are now “on the run,” according to local sources. Residents said the number of casualties could continue to rise.

The protests were sparked by concerns over severe environmental damage and water shortages, which residents blame on unchecked excavation activities by the mining companies.

Residents of Chah Ab had already clashed on Friday with Taliban members who entered residential areas to begin gold extraction operations.

According to local sources, the companies involved are linked to Bashar Noorzai, a major drug trafficker and a key financial backer of the Taliban. Residents of Chah Ab say they are protesting the activities of at least three such companies operating in the district.

Taliban authorities have not publicly commented on the latest clashes or the reported casualties.

They described militancy emanating from Afghanistan a serious threat to regional and global security.

In a joint statement, Wang Yi and Mohammad Ishaq Dar urged the adoption of “concrete and verifiable” steps to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.

The statement was issued following Dar’s visit to Beijing for the seventh round of the China–Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue, held from January 3 to 5.

The two sides said they would maintain close communication and coordination on Afghanistan-related issues and work together to address shared security concerns.

China and Pakistan also said they would cooperate with the international community to encourage the Taliban to establish an inclusive political framework, pursue moderate policies, prioritise economic development and adhere to the principles of good neighbourliness.

China has maintained close engagement with the Taliban since their return to power in 2021. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul, however, have recently deteriorated, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

The Taliban have repeatedly denied the allegations, saying they do not allow Afghan territory to be used to threaten other countries.

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.