Afghanistan’s Future In Focus At Frankfurt Conference

The group also said that they arrested two people on suspicion of attempting to smuggle the equipment out of the country.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said at least 286 military cameras were discovered during an operation in Nimruz and were being transported in a passenger vehicle intended to cross into Iran.

The ministry said two suspects were detained in connection with the alleged smuggling attempt. Following preliminary investigations, the suspects were handed over to the Nimruz Counterterrorism Directorate for further questioning.

The Taliban did not provide additional details about the origin of the cameras or their intended use.

According to sources within the Taliban Ministry of Finance, the Taliban plan to permanently dismiss these women and replace them with male members of their families.

Several female employees of the Ministry of Finance told Afghanistan International on Thursday, that after the ban on women’s employment was imposed, they had continued to receive a monthly payment of 5,000 afghanis. They said authorities have now decided to remove them from their posts entirely.

The women criticised the decision, warning that female breadwinners would face severe economic hardship if the payments are cut.

Sources said the move is part of a broader plan by the Taliban to eliminate positions previously allocated to women within the ministry and fill them with male staff.

The Taliban Ministry of Finance has not issued an official comment on the reported decision.

Last year, the ministry confirmed it was paying a monthly stipend of 5,000 afghanis to some female employees who had been forced to remain at home following restrictions on women’s employment.

He said that Pakistan’s enemies are supporting the Pakistani Taliban through Afghan territory.

Speaking on Friday at a meeting with religious scholars, Sharif said Pakistan’s long-standing wound of terrorism had reopened and that hostile forces were aiding the TTP via the Afghan Taliban.

He said that while Afghan Taliban representatives deny links with the TTP in direct talks, Islamabad possesses solid and documented evidence showing that resources and facilities are being provided to the group through Afghanistan.

Sharif described the alleged alliance between the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban as one of the most alarming consequences of the current situation, adding that just as Pakistan defeated militants in 2018, it would confront them again.

Referring to the armed forces, the prime minister said Pakistan’s military had consolidated its position as a major regional power and had delivered what he called a historic lesson to India last year. He also stressed the need for national unity and internal cohesion to address Pakistan’s security challenges.

The Afghan Taliban have consistently denied cooperating with the TTP. After clashes between the two sides and the failure of several rounds of talks mediated by Doha, Istanbul and Saudi Arabia, Taliban leaders, under pressure from those countries, said at a meeting in Kabul that they oppose the use of Afghan soil by foreign militants to attack other countries, without explicitly naming Pakistan.

Taliban spokesmen have also said individuals they describe as Waziristani migrants have been relocated from border areas to other parts of Afghanistan. The group denies an organised TTP presence in the country, describing the individuals as Pakistani migrants.

Pakistani officials, however, have repeatedly said such measures are insufficient and have called on the Afghan Taliban to provide clear, written guarantees to prevent militant attacks against Pakistan.

Shaheen said turning away from Afghan partners who stood “shoulder to shoulder” with US forces under difficult conditions would amount to a major betrayal of American values. She added that such a move would undermine the United States’ ability to earn the trust and cooperation of its allies in times of need.

Earlier, Gregory Meeks, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, said President Donald Trump had informed Congress of his decision to shut down Camp As Sayliyah, which has served as a temporary holding facility for evacuated Afghans. According to Meeks, the camp is scheduled to close by the end of September.

In a statement issued on Thursday, January 15, Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the plan to close the Afghan migrant camp in Qatar as “deeply disappointing.” She said it was “shameful” for the United States to pressure its Afghan allies to return to life under Taliban rule.

The senator stressed that Afghans at the camp include women, children and individuals who risked their lives in service to the United States. She said the government’s plan would leave these at-risk refugees in limbo, without a clear path to secure resettlement.

Shaheen noted that the majority of Afghans living at Camp As Sayliyah have established pathways for resettlement to the United States and urged the government to honour its commitments and recognise their sacrifices.

She also called on both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to ensure that no Afghan at Camp As Sayliyah is “forced back to a life of persecution and torture.”

They said that these forces interrogate and abuse females ranging in age from 12 to about 70 for wearing a local dress that’s not favoured by the Taliban in public.

The manto is a common form of outerwear in Herat, worn by many women instead of a burqa or other traditional garments. The Taliban have recently banned the garment in the city and now bar women from moving in public while wearing it. The style, also known as Arab dress or Arab hijab, is widely worn in several Islamic countries.

Sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday that Taliban morality police have deployed officers in busy areas including Pul-e Rangina, Cinema Square, Golha Square, Darb-e Iraq, Mostofiyat Square and other crowded parts of the city to monitor women’s hijab.

Reports of Violent Conduct

Eyewitnesses said Taliban officers have stopped public transport vehicles, taxis and rickshaws at several central locations, forcing women who are not wearing a Burqa or prayer veil to get out of vehicles.

One witness said a Taliban morality officer slapped a driver for transporting a woman wearing a manto.

Afghanistan International learned that on Wednesday, following disputes over hijab at Golha Square, several women were detained by the Taliban and taken to an undisclosed location. Another eyewitness said several women were also detained on Thursday, January 15.

Accounts From Residents

Most women who spoke to Afghanistan International said their hijab fully covered their bodies, yet they were still harassed.

One woman said: “Yesterday I was wearing full winter hijab, just without a prayer veil. They forced me off a public bus and did not allow any vehicle or taxi to take me. I was left stranded in Golha Square. When they finally allowed me to leave, I had to go into a side alley and return home by rickshaw.”

Another woman said: “Today I was in a vehicle with my brother. They stopped the vehicle and beat the driver in front of us for picking up women wearing manto. We were not detained, but they warned drivers not to transport women who wear manto.”

A man told Afghanistan International that Taliban officers stopped his 12-year-old daughter and told her she should not leave the house without a burqa. He said tensions escalated after he told them his daughter was only 12, and that he was detained for about half an hour. During that time, he said, he saw at least 15 other women being stopped.

A girl from Herat said she was accompanying her sister to a cardiac hospital when Taliban officers blocked their passage. Her sister, who was wearing a manto, was carrying medication. “Several morality police officers were stationed at the entrances of all alleys connected to Pul-e Rangina and Majidi Street and were not allowing women wearing manto to pass,” she said.

Another woman reported witnessing an argument between a woman of about 70 and Taliban officers. According to her account, the elderly woman shouted at men nearby: “Why are you indifferent in the face of the Taliban?”

Previous Restrictions

The Taliban have previously detained and beaten women in Herat, including some healthcare workers, for not wearing a burqa. Despite the restrictions, some women in the city continue to wear Arab style hijab and manto.

The Taliban have also banned the provision of government services to women without a burqa in Herat city and some surrounding districts. Videos received by Afghanistan International show Taliban morality police preventing women from entering the central hospital because they were not wearing a burqa.