Afghanistan Wars Were Politically Driven, Not Religious, Says Pak Defence Minister

Norwegian police said the incident occurred on Sunday evening, in the Arna district of Bergen, where the victim was assaulted outside his residence. He died from his injuries while being transported to hospital. His wife was also injured in the attack.

Two relatives of the victim told Afghanistan International that the man had served in Afghanistan’s former Unit 222 special forces and had sought refuge in Norway with his wife after the collapse of the previous Afghan government in 2021.

Police confirmed Monday that the killing appeared to be intentional and said a forensic examination of the body would be conducted. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation using police dogs and drones and have set up checkpoints in several parts of the city to locate the suspect, who reportedly fled the scene before officers arrived.

No arrests have been made so far, and investigators have not released information about a possible motive.

The incident comes amid concerns among some Afghan residents in Norway following Oslo’s decision earlier this year to transfer control of Afghanistan’s embassy to Taliban representatives. Some members of the Afghan community have expressed worries about their safety and personal information.

A relative of the victim said the family had not yet received any details from police about the identity of the attacker or the motive behind the killing.

Muhriddin said Tajikistan has resumed operations at border markets with Afghanistan and continues to supply electricity to the country.

Speaking about bilateral relations, he said Dushanbe engages with the Taliban in line with its national interests.

“Every independent country has the right to pursue policies based on its national interests,” Muhriddin said, adding that many countries particularly those bordering Afghanistan have also shaped their engagement with the country according to their own priorities.

He said trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan has increased, with total economic exchanges exceeding $110 million last year.

Muhriddin called on the international community not to abandon Afghanistan as it faces complex social and economic challenges.

The foreign minister also addressed recent armed incidents along the border, saying security and law-enforcement agencies from both sides are working together to prevent similar events.

According to Muhriddin, the Taliban have assured Tajikistan they will take necessary measures to prevent future incidents and conduct thorough investigations into border-related violence.

Recently, Tajik security forces said they prevented five Afghan smugglers from illegally crossing into Tajikistan. Three were killed in an armed clash and two others fled back into Afghanistan, officials said.

Earlier, in two separate attacks launched from Afghan territory into Tajik border areas on November 26 and November 30 last year, five Chinese citizens were killed and five others were wounded.

Tajikistan condemned those attacks and called on the Taliban to arrest those responsible.

Khalid Hanafi made the remarks in a speech shared in an audio recording posted on X by Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the vice and virtue ministry.

Hanafi compared the relationship between the public and the authorities to that of “father and child,” reiterating the group’s commitment to the unconditional implementation of what it calls Islamic sharia. He said the Taliban administration “ensures the rights of all people in accordance with the Quran, the Sunnah and Hanafi jurisprudence.”

His comments come as the Taliban continue to enforce sweeping restrictions, particularly on women and girls. Since returning to power in 2021, the group has closed secondary schools for girls and imposed extensive limitations on women’s employment and access to public spaces.

Hanafi has previously said the Taliban’s beliefs and policies would not change, adding that “even if the world turns upside down, our thinking and beliefs must not change.”

Formal medicine imports have largely stopped, and many drugs are now entering the market through smuggling routes.

Afghanistan International spoke with pharmacy staff in Kabul who said the prices of several essential medicines and syrups have increased sharply.

Amclav-DS syrup (60 ml), an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections including respiratory and ear infections, has risen from 61 afghanis to 100 afghanis. Cefiget DS syrup (200 mg/5 ml), another antibiotic used for skin and respiratory infections, has increased from 72 afghanis to 100 afghanis.

Cosome-E syrup, used to relieve cough and cold symptoms and support the immune system, has risen from 27 afghanis to 65 afghanis. Ventolin Expectorant (Salbutamol/Guaifenesin), a bronchodilator used to treat asthma and respiratory conditions, has increased from 33 afghanis to 65 afghanis and is now difficult to find in many pharmacies.

Trimetabol syrup (150 ml) has risen from 53 afghanis to 85 afghanis, while Co-amoxiclav (625 mg), an antibiotic for moderate to severe infections, has increased from 50 afghanis to 75 afghanis.

A pharmacy manager in Kabul said shortages of many medicines have created serious difficulties for patients, families and healthcare workers. Another pharmacist said no country has been able to replace Pakistan as a fast and affordable source of medicines.

In October, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, instructed traders and industrialists to find alternative routes for importing medicines, warning that the continued closure of border crossings with Pakistan would affect markets and ordinary people.

He also asked medicine importers to settle their contracts with Pakistan within three months and shift to other supply routes. Since then, Taliban officials have travelled to India, Turkiye, Iran and Central Asian countries to address shortages, but no effective solution to reduce medicine prices has yet been found.

The Taliban said the individuals were accused of theft, received between 20 and 35 lashes, and were each sentenced to two years in prison.

The Taliban Supreme Court announced the punishments in separate statements issued on Sunday and Monday.
The Taliban has flogged about 90 people in various provinces across Afghanistan in the past week alone.

Over the past four years, the Taliban have reported the public corporal punishment of citizens almost daily. The group says issuing corporal punishment sentences against defendants constitutes the implementation of Islamic sharia.

The United Nations and other human rights organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to stop corporal punishment of citizens, but the group has continued the practice.

International and human rights organisations consider public corporal punishment to be a violation of human dignity. Human rights groups also say the Taliban’s judicial system does not meet recognised legal standards and that defendants are deprived of basic fair-trial rights, including access to legal counsel.