Afghanistan Ranks Third Worldwide In Casualties From Explosive Ordnance

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of information and public relations at the Taliban’s foreign ministry, said Wednesday that representatives from UN offices in Kabul, the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, ambassadors, diplomats and a number of experts took part in the meeting, both in person and online.

Taliban officials told the meeting that the sources of synthetic drugs lie outside Afghanistan and warned that failure to curb their spread would harm the region and the wider world. They also claimed that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has “almost reached zero”.

At the session, Taliban representatives presented proposals on alternative livelihoods for farmers, treatment for people with drug addiction and other challenges facing counter-narcotics efforts in the country.

According to the Taliban, representatives of several international organisations and countries expressed support for counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan. Participants stressed the need to create alternative livelihoods and to take effective steps to treat and reintegrate people with drug addiction into society.

Taliban officials said tackling drugs in Afghanistan is in the interest of the region and the world, adding that progress requires investment, cooperation, coordination and mutual trust. They also said international representatives welcomed what they described as a reduction in poppy cultivation.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, issued a decree banning the cultivation and production of drugs a year after the group returned to power. However, reports indicate that drug cultivation and production continue in some areas in Afghanistan.

After the departure of Cenk Unal, Ankara appointed Sadin Ayyildiz as chargé d’affaires in Kabul in December, rather than sending a new ambassador. Ayyildiz met Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister.

The talks focused on expanding bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and health sectors, according to officials.

Since the Taliban returned to power, Türkiye has changed its top envoy to Kabul at least twice. The decision to send a chargé d’affaires instead of an ambassador is seen as indicating a lower level of diplomatic engagement with the Taliban administration.

Ayyildiz has previously served as Turkey’s consul general in Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

Hossein Nejat, a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guard, said most of those involved in activities during the conflict were Iranian nationals, though in some cases foreign nationals, including a small number of Afghan migrants, were present.

He said Afghans played no role in flying drones and that claims about the discovery of tunnels or large-scale organised actions by migrants had not been confirmed.

Nejat said between 70 and 80 people were identified and detained for producing and sending images and information from damaged locations.

He added that some had acted out of negligence, while others had direct or indirect links to online pages associated with Israel or the Mujahedin-e Khalq.

Israel launched air strikes against Iran on June 13, 2025, with aerial clashes between the two sides continuing until June 24, 2025.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said it was unclear on what basis Lavrov made the remarks and insisted that over the past four to five years no country had been threatened from Afghanistan.

Lavrov said Monday that new security challenges and threats particularly developments linked to Central Asia and Afghanistan are among the top concerns of member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Responding Tuesday, Mujahid said the Taliban exercise full control over Afghanistan’s territory. He said: “In the past four or five years that the Islamic Emirate has governed Afghanistan, no threat has been directed at any country from Afghan soil.”

However, several neighbouring and regional countries have voiced concerns about the presence and activities of militant groups in Afghanistan.

Russia has expressed concern about the activities of the Islamic State group and Central Asian Islamist movements. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have also warned about the presence and activities of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Ansarullah group in Afghanistan, saying they have faced direct threats.

China has repeatedly raised concerns about Uyghur militants. Chinese officials say individuals linked to these groups have at times targeted Chinese nationals inside and outside Afghanistan. In a recent incident, Islamic State militants attacked Chinese nationals in Kabul’s Shahr-e Naw district.

Pakistan says Afghan territory has become a safe haven for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatists. Pakistani officials claim leaders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch Liberation Army are based in Afghanistan, allegations the Taliban deny.

The monitoring team’s mandate expires on February 17. If renewed, the existing sanctions regime including asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo will remain in place.

The 1988 sanctions apply to individuals and entities associated with the Taliban who are involved in violence, arms supply, recruitment or other activities seen as threatening peace and stability in Afghanistan. Apart from a humanitarian exemption approved in late 2021, the regime has seen no major changes since the Taliban returned to power.

The United States has rejected most requests this year for exemptions from travel bans, according to diplomatic correspondence. In a letter to committee members last summer, Washington said it would review exemption requests on a case-by-case basis with increased scrutiny, arguing that the Taliban continued to use what it described as hostage diplomacy and had failed to meet counterterrorism commitments.

Following that stance, some countries have opted to notify the committee of travel by sanctioned Taliban members rather than formally request exemptions.

The Afghanistan 1988 Sanctions Committee is a subsidiary body of the Security Council responsible for overseeing implementation of the measures. It designates sanctioned individuals and entities, decides on exemption requests and reports to the council. The monitoring team assists the committee by preparing reports, making recommendations and reviewing the sanctions list.

The latest negotiations on the monitoring team’s mandate were held in December 2024 and resulted in an extension of the mandate, keeping the Taliban under sanctions.

Issues cited by diplomats as factors in favour of extending the sanctions include the Taliban’s reported links to groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, al-Qaida and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement; policies restricting women’s rights, including bans on girls’ education; and the absence of what critics describe as an inclusive government.

The monitoring team also supports the ISIL and al-Qaida sanctions committee. Under Resolution 2734, adopted in June 2024, that mandate runs until June 2027.