Former Governor Alleges Taliban Behind Attack On Ex-Afghan Lawmaker In Iran

Mohammad Sadiq Khan said on X that he had spoken with Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Iran’s director general for South Asia and special representative for Afghanistan. He said the conversation covered Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, as well as trade and broader regional matters.

Sadiq did not provide further details.

The call follows Pakistan’s recent claim that it targeted militants in strikes inside Afghanistan. The Taliban rejected the allegation, saying civilians were killed in the attack.

He said that if the Afghan Taliban fail to prevent Pakistani militants based in Afghanistan from operating, Islamabad would have no choice but to defend itself.

Speaking on a television programme, Kundi said Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Taliban authorities not to allow Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan. He said groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and al-Qaida continue to operate from across the border and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Kundi said Pakistan’s military strikes on militant hideouts in Afghanistan had been successful. The Taliban rejected the claim, saying civilians were killed in the attacks. The United Nations has confirmed that 17 civilians were killed.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid described the figures and their sources as inaccurate. He said no such groups were present in the country and insisted Afghanistan is under unified authority, making it impossible for outside groups to operate.

In a statement issued on 23 February, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said the total number of fighters from international militant organisations in Afghanistan was estimated at between 20,000 and 23,000, with more than half of them foreign nationals.

The report said the largest militant group in Afghanistan was Islamic State Khorasan Province, with about 3,000 members. It also estimated that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had between 5,000 and 7,000 members in Afghanistan, al-Qaida between 400 and 1,500, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement between 300 and 1,200, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, now known as the Turkestan Islamic Party, between 150 and 500, and Jamaat Ansarullah between 150 and 250.

The Russian ministry said the only group actively operating against the Taliban authorities was Islamic State Khorasan Province, which it said maintains training camps, bases and sleeper cells in Afghanistan.

According to the report, the group is mainly based in eastern, northern and north-eastern Afghanistan and seeks in the long term to expand into Central Asia to establish what it described as an Islamic caliphate. It added that, based on the scale and intensity of its attacks, the group does not pose a direct threat to the Taliban authorities but aims to undermine confidence in their ability to maintain stability and public order.

Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban authorities.

According to a ministry statement, Muttaqi said similar Pakistani attacks over the past four years had targeted only civilians.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Taliban Foreign Ministry, wrote on X on Tuesday that Muttaqi said no armed individuals whom Pakistan claimed were present and targeted were killed in the latest strikes. He said this showed Pakistan’s claims were unfounded.

Muttaqi also said there are no armed groups operating in Afghanistan and that diplomats and other parties are free to visit the site of the strike to assess the situation.

The ministry said DiCarlo expressed sympathy over the reported killing of civilians and said she would raise the issue with UN member states and other relevant parties.

Dawar said the Taliban are seeking to create the impression that they oppose the Pakistani army, but argued that, in reality, no outcome would serve the army’s interests more.

He described the Taliban as a proxy force that, in his view, lacks independent thinking.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Dawar said he believes the Taliban remain under the control of Islamabad.

He added that if Pakistan’s government wished, it could still exert control over the Afghan Taliban, who hold power in Kabul, as well as over the Pakistani Taliban.