Four Taliban Members Killed In Kunduz, Parwan Attacks, Says AFF

The spokesperson for Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Pakistan, said Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Noor Mohammad Saqib, Abdul Hakim Sharai, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Abdul Latif Mansoor and Shahabuddin Delawar are graduates of religious seminaries but did not complete advanced stages of religious scholarship.

Maulana Yousuf Shah, spokesperson for Darul Uloom Haqqania, told Afghanistan International that several Taliban ministers and senior officials present themselves as “Mufti” and “Sheikh al-Hadith”, titles that signify high academic standing in religious sciences, despite lacking the necessary scholarly qualifications.

According to him, cabinet members including Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Abdul Hakim Sharai, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Abdul Latif Mansoor, Noor Mohammad Saqib and Shahabuddin Delawar are ordinary seminary graduates.

Abdul Hakim Sharaei

On the Taliban Ministry of Justice website, the religious academic rank of Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaei is listed as Sheikh al-Hadith. However, according to the Haqqania seminary spokesperson, Sharai only graduated from the institution.

His biography states that after completing primary education, he travelled to Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to complete the advanced course, graduating in 1989.

Based on this description, he did not specialise in Hadith studies and therefore should not be referred to as Sheikh al-Hadith.

A former member of the Ulama Council under Afghanistan’s previous government, speaking anonymously, said religious titles such as Mufti and Sheikh al-Hadith require specific academic criteria, including completing studies in jurisprudence, legal principles, Hadith sciences, teaching experience and formal certification by recognised scholars.

Without completing these stages, he said, a student cannot claim such titles.

Noor Mohammad Saqib

Noor Mohammad Saqib, the Taliban minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, is referred to as Sheikh al-Hadith, and Doctor on official platforms.

The ministry website identifies him as: “Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs Sheikh al-Hadith Qazawat-Poh Doctor Mawlawi Noor Mohammad Saqib.”

The Haqqania seminary spokesperson said Saqib only completed the senior seminary course and does not qualify for the title Sheikh al-Hadith.

The ministry states that the Taliban administration awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1999 for religious education. However, his highest level of education was completion of a senior course at Akora Khattak.

According to the ministry, the doctorate is honorary, but under academic standards in Afghanistan and internationally, an honorary doctorate is not considered an academic qualification.

Shahabuddin Delawar

The Afghanistan Red Crescent Society website refers to Shahabuddin Delawar as Sheikh al-Hadith. The Haqqania seminary spokesperson said Delawar completed a senior course but did not specialise in Hadith.

His biography states that he received primary education from his father in Logar before studying at Darul Uloom Haqqania.

A source within the Red Crescent Society told Afghanistan International that Delawar’s chief of staff instructed staff to address him as “Sheikh Sahib”.

Amir Khan Muttaqi

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban foreign minister, visited Darul Uloom Deoband in India in October. During the visit, the foreign ministry’s protocol team introduced him to students as Sheikh al-Hadith, although he does not meet the requirements.

The Haqqania seminary spokesperson said Muttaqi studied at the seminary but did not specialise in jurisprudence or Hadith.

The Taliban foreign ministry website provides no details about his education, although state media programmes have used the title Sheikh al-Hadith for him.

Abdul Latif Mansoor

Abdul Latif Mansoor, the Taliban minister of water and energy, also studied at Haqqania seminary. He has been referred to as a Mufti at official events, despite lacking specialised training in jurisprudence.

The seminary confirmed his studies but said he does not have the qualifications required to be considered a mufti.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani

Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the former Taliban higher education minister, is introduced as Sheikh al-Quran and Doctor, although he does not have specialised training in Quranic or jurisprudential studies.

The Haqqania seminary confirmed he completed only the senior course. His honorary doctorate was awarded by Nangarhar University in 2022 and does not carry academic equivalence to a doctoral degree.

Neda Mohammad Nadeem

Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban higher education minister, is also referred to as Sheikh al-Hadith. He completed advanced seminary studies at Jamia Al-Islamia in Pakistan but did not specialise in Hadith.

Former instructor Maulana Rafiq Madani said: “When Mullah Nadeem was a student at our seminary, I taught there. He completed the senior course but did not specialise in Hadith, or jurisprudence. Therefore, he should not be called Sheikh al-Hadith.”

Abdul Kabir

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban minister for refugees, sometimes referred to as Sheikh al-Quran, studied at Haqqania seminary.

The seminary confirmed his attendance but did not confirm completion of the senior course.

A former teacher at Najm-ul-Madaris in Nangarhar said Kabir did not complete the senior religious studies programme.

“When someone does not complete the senior course, he cannot even be called Mawlawi, let alone Sheikh al-Quran or Sheikh al-Hadith,” the teacher said.

He added that many senior Taliban officials studied with him at Haqqania but left their studies unfinished and now use senior religious titles.

Noorullah Munir

The Taliban Ministry of Education website refers to former minister Noorullah Munir as Sheikh al-Quran and Sheikh al-Hadith.

Munir completed lower-level religious studies in Ghazni and the senior course at Imdad-ul-Uloom seminary in Peshawar under Maulana Hassan Jan. Based on this, only the title Mawlawi applies to him.

Mawlawi Shukrullah Arbab, a teacher at Bab-ul-Uloom seminary in Peshawar, said he studied alongside Munir and confirmed Munir did not specialise in Hadith or Quranic studies.

Concerns Over Misuse of Religious Titles

An Islamic studies researcher at the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences, speaking anonymously, said misuse of religious titles undermines the credibility of religious education.

He said the title Sheikh al-Hadith requires two years of specialisation in Hadith after completion of the senior course, while Sheikh al-Quran requires two years of specialised Quranic studies and more than ten years of teaching experience.

He added that many Taliban leaders have adopted religious titles arbitrarily without scholarly or religious justification.

Afghanistan International sought comment from the Taliban spokesperson and the ministers of higher education, education, refugees, energy and foreign affairs but received no response.

A justice ministry official, speaking anonymously, said staff members are not permitted to discuss the matter with the media.

The airline said it will now operate six weekly cargo flights and two passenger flights on the Kabul–Delhi route.

In a post on X on Thursday, Ariana said the increase was intended to expand transportation capacity and reinforce commercial relations between Kabul and Delhi.

The expansion comes as trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains suspended, with border crossings and ports between the two countries still closed.

The Taliban, whose relations with Pakistan have deteriorated sharply, has shifted its economic focus toward cooperation with India and Iran. Taliban authorities have previously urged traders to seek alternative routes instead of relying on Pakistani ports.

Rajab Safarov, director of the Centre for Contemporary Iranian Studies in Moscow, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s political approach indicates their grip on power will not last.

Referring to a recent book by Russian researcher Andrey Serenko, head of the head of the Russian Centre for Contemporary Afghanistan Studies, Safarov said the Taliban had developed in an environment where they pursued any action within their reach.

“Given the Taliban’s current policies, this situation will not last long,” he said.

In his book Taliban Intelligence Secrets, Serenko wrote that the Taliban have not fundamentally changed but have become “more cunning,” warning that trusting the group is dangerous for Afghanistan, the region and the wider world.

Safarov said the Taliban’s current legitimacy and opportunity could fade over time. He added that the Taliban could either disappear from the region’s geopolitical landscape or push the wider region into crisis. However, he said the group has so far taken neither decisive positive nor decisive negative steps in regional affairs.

Safarov also said neighbouring countries have not taken serious action toward the Taliban because they are preoccupied with ongoing crises and geopolitical rivalries.

Serenko previously warned in an interview with Afghanistan International that regional and other countries should not trust the Taliban, describing the group as an unreliable structure posing risks to Afghanistan, the region and the world.

Despite such warnings, Russia has been the first country to recognise the Taliban administration.

Safarov said some in Russia believe recognising the Taliban may have been premature. However, he added that the Russian public generally trusts Kremlin policies and has not shown widespread protest over the decision.

The Taliban’s Interior Ministry said 37 kilograms of opium and 2,700 kilograms of cannabis were confiscated in Farah and Uruzgan provinces.

In a statement issued Thursday, the ministry said four people were arrested while transporting opium along with equipment used for drug production in Bala Buluk district of Farah province.

It added that Taliban counter-narcotics officers discovered the cannabis shipment in Chinaratu district of Uruzgan province and later destroyed it by burning.

Earlier in the summer, Mohammad Narimani, director-general of international relations at Iran’s Drug Control Headquarters, said drug trafficking from stockpiles in Afghanistan to Iran and other countries was continuing. He said Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russia were on the frontline in efforts to combat trafficking originating in Afghanistan.

Taliban representatives told the fourth counter-narcotics working group meeting under the Doha Process in Kabul that poppy cultivation and the production of traditional drugs in Afghanistan had “almost reached zero”.

At the same meeting, they expressed concern about the production of synthetic drugs, saying equipment needed to manufacture such substances is smuggled into Afghanistan from abroad.

Andrey Serenko, head of the Russian Centre for Contemporary Afghanistan Studies, released a book titled Taliban Intelligence Secrets, which includes documents he says expose confidential aspects of the Taliban’s intelligence structures. The authenticity of the documents has not been independently verified.

Claim Of ‘Iron Dome’-Style Defence System

Serenko writes that the Taliban administration is seeking to establish an air defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome over Kandahar or above the residence of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Citing what he describes as internal material, the author says Taliban leaders have emphasised training specialists in China to operate advanced air defence systems. He attributes the choice of China to its military-technical capabilities, particularly in air defence, and what he calls a high level of mutual trust between Kabul and Beijing.

According to the book, ensuring the security of Taliban leaders against potential air attacks has become increasingly urgent. Serenko says repeated flights by unidentified drones over Kandahar, where the Taliban leader is based, have heightened security concerns.

He adds that, according to his sources, Akhundzada’s close associates focused last summer on strengthening his security, including protection against possible air threats.

Alleged Contacts With The CIA

Serenko also claims Taliban intelligence maintains covert contacts with the CIA and has held secret meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

He writes that, within the framework of this alleged cooperation, the CIA is promptly informed of the results of Taliban intelligence visits to Moscow. Citing a document he says he published, Serenko claims that two Taliban intelligence officials met US intelligence representatives before travelling to Moscow.

The author adds that, according to his sources, the CIA is attempting to learn about Russian activities in Afghanistan through Taliban channels. He also writes that CIA intelligence activity within the Taliban administration has increased since Donald Trump returned to power.

Alleged Taliban Invitation Over Bagram

In another section, Serenko says the Taliban invited the United States officials to visit Bagram Air Base, claiming the aim was to influence US President Donald Trump’s position on the facility.

Trump has repeatedly said the Taliban should return Bagram Air Base to the United States. Serenko described the alleged Taliban initiative as a “new intrigue.”

Warning Of Regional Militant Threat

Serenko writes that Afghanistan hosts numerous small, autonomous armed jihadist groups that are seeking financial backers for attacks in Central Asia.

He says that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, many foreign fighters began leaving the country and are increasingly choosing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as a base.

Citing his sources, the analyst adds that al-Qaida and other jihadist groups in Afghanistan are attempting to regroup.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Serenko said regional and other countries should remain vigilant and not trust the Taliban, which he described as an unreliable structure posing risks to Afghanistan, the region and the wider world.

Serenko said the documents were provided by what he called “patriotic Afghans” and that individuals in Russia, including some linked to the presidential office, have reviewed them.

He said some of the materials had previously been published in the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Afghanistan International has not independently verified the documents.