Taliban Tighten Surveillance Of Kabul Guesthouse Housing Afghans Promised Germany

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commission said an estimated 239 million people worldwide currently require humanitarian assistance, noting that many donors have reduced their humanitarian budgets.

The European Union said the funding is targeted at communities with the greatest needs and will provide life-saving food assistance, emergency shelter, essential healthcare, support for the most vulnerable, and help for children’s education in crisis-affected areas.

The EU added that, despite other donors scaling back and humanitarian operations facing unprecedented pressure, it remains committed to supporting people in need worldwide.

According to the Commission, €557 million has been allocated to west and central Africa, the Lake Chad Basin, north-west Nigeria, central Africa, southern Africa and the Great Lakes region. At least €448 million has been earmarked for the Middle East, particularly for those in Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

About €145 million has been allocated for humanitarian needs in Ukraine this year. The Commission said several countries in south-east Asia, South America and North Africa are also included in the 2026 humanitarian assistance package.

In addition, more than €415 million has been set aside to respond to sudden global emergencies and to maintain supply chains for essential humanitarian needs.

A spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works said snow depth in North Salang has exceeded four metres, while in South Salang it has reached nearly three metres. Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas said ongoing storms and snowfall have hampered snow-clearing operations in the area.

Several regional roads have also been closed. Routes linking Bamiyan province to the districts of Yakaolang and Panjab are shut, as are roads connecting Parwan and Ghor provinces. In Daikundi province, the Khadir, Qonaq, Kumi and Shahristan–Miramor routes have been closed. Roads in several districts of Ghazni province, including Nawur, Ajristan, Malistan and Jaghori, are also impassable.

Taliban officials said routes connecting Khost and Paktia provinces have likewise been closed due to severe weather.

Images published from Maidan Wardak province show heavy snowfall, while snow continues to fall in Herat province.

The Ministry of Public Works has urged travellers and drivers to check road conditions before setting out and to carry essential supplies, including warm clothing, food, fuel and tyre chains, when travelling on snow-covered routes.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Ahadi said there is neither safety nor confidence for investors, nor clear laws or professional cadres within government bodies. As a result, he said, Afghanistan’s economic outlook remains bleak.

The former finance minister added that while some small-scale economic projects are under way, conditions for large-scale investment remain high-risk. He pointed to the lack of a constitutional and legal framework, noting that governance under the Taliban relies largely on decrees issued by the group’s leader. “When a country does not have a constitution, what other law can it possibly have?” he said.

Ahadi said international pressure and isolation, the severing of Afghanistan’s banking ties with the global financial system, the continued freezing of central bank assets and Taliban economic policies have all further restricted space for investment.

The Taliban have sought to attract investors by emphasising security and an economy-focused approach, but the administration remains under international sanctions. Ahadi also said the Taliban face a shortage of skilled professionals, as a large segment of Afghanistan’s educated workforce has emigrated.

“It is not acceptable for a specialist to do the work while their supervisor is a mullah, cleric, qari or Quran memoriser,” Ahadi said, adding that professionals may tolerate such conditions in the short term, but not over time.

He also addressed the suspension of trade and transit with Pakistan, describing Islamabad’s political use of trade routes as “unjustified”. Ahadi said Afghanistan bears the greatest losses from the halt in trade, noting that alternative routes through Iran and Central Asia are more costly and offer limited benefit. According to him, the Pakistan route remains the most economically viable.

Ahadi described ongoing tensions and clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan as “irrational and irresponsible”, warning that the situation is damaging to both sides.

In a statement, the council expressed condolences to the families of the victims in Afghanistan and China and stressed the need to hold accountable those responsible for planning, carrying out and supporting the attack.

Islamic State’s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place on Monday in Kabul’s Shahr-e Naw area.

Six Afghan nationals and one Chinese citizen were killed in the explosion, while 13 others were wounded, including a child. Five Chinese citizens were among the injured.

The Security Council also urged all countries to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism, in line with their obligations under international law and relevant UN resolutions.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry urged traders and importers to complete all transactions and customs documentation for Pakistani medicines within the remaining 19 days.

The Taliban first announced the ban amid rising tensions and clashes with Pakistan. In November 2025, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, called on traders to finalise customs procedures within a three-month grace period.

Taliban officials said that once the deadline expires, medicines imported from Pakistan will no longer be processed by customs authorities.

The Taliban have claimed that millions of dollars are spent each year on what they describe as “low-quality” Pakistani medicines. Following the directive, the Taliban’s minister of industry and commerce travelled to Iran and India, with officials saying the administration plans to increase imports of Indian medicines, including through air corridors.

Earlier, on December 2, 2025, Noor-ul-Haq Anwar, head of the Taliban’s Administrative Affairs Directorate, said that more than 70 percent of medicines had previously been imported from Pakistan. He added that medicine shortages have been felt across Afghanistan since the closure of border crossings with Pakistan.