Turkiye Lowers Diplomatic Representation In Afghanistan
Türkiye has reduced the level of its diplomatic representation in Afghanistan following the end of the mission of its former ambassador to Kabul.
Türkiye has reduced the level of its diplomatic representation in Afghanistan following the end of the mission of its former ambassador to Kabul.
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.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Afghan migrants were not involved in operating drones during the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, rejecting rumours that Afghans had been arrested over flying the devices.
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.
The Taliban have rejected comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about security threats originating from Afghanistan, saying no country has faced danger from Afghan territory in recent years.
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 UN Security Council is set to vote on extending the mandate of the monitoring team supporting the Afghanistan 1988 Sanctions Committee, a move that would keep Taliban-linked individuals and entities under UN sanctions.
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.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said developments in Afghanistan and security risks in Central Asia are among the main concerns for the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Lavrov made the remarks Monday during a meeting in Moscow with Talatbek Masadykov, secretary-general of the CSTO. He said new security challenges and threats, particularly those emerging in Central Asia and Afghanistan, are at the top of the bloc’s agenda.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a regional military alliance whose members include Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Under its framework, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power remains a sensitive security issue for neighbouring countries and the broader region.
A Taliban official said the group’s messaging channels are weak and warned that failing to compete on social media would allow opposing narratives to gain ground.
Saeed Khosti, head of the Department for the Registration of Jihadi Works and Documents at the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, said the “social media battlefield” could not be abandoned. “If we leave this field empty, the enemy’s narrative will grow stronger and the Taliban will be defeated,” he said.
Khosti, who previously headed the propaganda wing of the Haqqani network, was appointed earlier this week to the ministry post. Speaking to online supporters of the Taliban, he said users often first encounter content from media outlets opposed to the group when they log on to social media.
According to him, such messages are repeated frequently throughout the day and influence young people and the broader public.
As an example, he cited criticism of the Taliban’s recently published penal code, saying opponents portray it as lacking justice or equality. He said repeated exposure to such content shapes public perceptions.
Khosti argued that remaining silent would strengthen what he described as the enemy’s narrative and said the Taliban should take the initiative in the media sphere rather than remain defensive.
He also said media outlets opposed to the Taliban exaggerate minor stories to undermine the group’s messaging and described social media as a “live battlefield” requiring sustained attention similar to a military front.
Khosti has previously served as a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Interior Ministry and later as an adviser at the Ministry of Information and Culture.
He has also faced accusations of sexually assaulting a female university student, allegations that have circulated publicly but have not been addressed in detail by Taliban authorities.