Taliban Will Step Up Security For Chinese Nationals, Says China

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released the report Wednesday on the human rights situation in Afghanistan covering the period from November 2025 to January 2026.

The report said armed groups opposed to the Taliban claimed responsibility for 36 incidents during the period, of which 14 were verified.

According to the report, groups claiming the attacks included the National Resistance Front, the National Mobilisation Front, Afghanistan’s Islamic Movement for the Freedom of People and the Afghanistan Freedom Front.

The incidents included shootings at Taliban checkpoints and convoys, as well as rocket and grenade attacks.

The report also referred to a January attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul claimed by the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan Province.

It also noted several border clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan, including incidents affecting civilian areas and infrastructure in Kandahar.

The report recorded clashes between Taliban fighters and Iranian border forces in Nimroz province, which led to the temporary closure of the border.

According to the report, Taliban forces also exchanged fire several times with Pakistani troops in border areas of Khost, Paktika, Kandahar, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.

It also referred to attempts by individuals to cross from Afghanistan into Tajikistan and civilian casualties resulting from efforts to stop them.

Residents in Ghazni, Kandahar, Khost, Wardak, Panjshir and Paktika reported witnessing airstrikes during the period.

UNAMA also documented 47 security incidents that directly affected UN personnel.

Attaullah Tarar said at least 855 Taliban fighters had also been wounded during the fighting.

In a post on X, Tarar said Pakistani forces had destroyed 243 Taliban posts in border areas and captured at least 42 others.

He also claimed that 219 Taliban tanks, armored vehicles, artillery pieces and other equipment had been destroyed.

Tarar added that since the start of the clashes at least 65 locations across Afghanistan had been targeted in air strikes.

The Taliban have not yet officially responded to the figures released by the Pakistani minister. The group has previously claimed it captured and destroyed several Pakistani border posts during the fighting.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the writer and researcher was last seen in Afghanistan’s Khost province. The agency said the identities of those who provide information leading to his recovery will remain confidential.

Paul Edwin Overby Jr. disappeared while travelling toward Pakistan’s Waziristan region and was last seen in mid-May 2014 in the city of Khost. He was conducting research in the area for a book.

The FBI first announced a reward of $1m in 2018 for information leading to his whereabouts and has repeatedly appealed for information since his disappearance.

In May 2025, the United States raised the reward to $5m for information on Overby’s location, recovery and return, though the announcement has only recently drawn wider media attention.

CNN reported in October last year that Overby may have died in Afghanistan. Nearly 12 years after he went missing, the circumstances of his disappearance remain unclear.

The development comes after Washington designated the Taliban administration as responsible for wrongful detentions, accusing it of holding US citizens.

US officials have previously said the Taliban use detainees as leverage in negotiations.

Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday that Pakistani forces had targeted Taliban positions along the frontier.

Citing security sources, the broadcaster said the Pakistani army carried out attacks on Taliban targets in Zhob along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The report said Taliban fighters were forced to retreat and had abandoned some of their positions and weapons.

Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the report.

The state broadcaster also said the army had seized Russian-made 73mm HGL-9 heavy grenade launchers from positions earlier under Taliban control.

According to a statement, Amir Khan Muttaqi outlined the Taliban administration’s position on Pakistan’s attacks and what it described as defensive responses.

The ministry said bilateral relations and regional developments were also discussed during the call with Al Busaidi.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the Taliban foreign ministry said both sides described recent developments in the Middle East as concerning and condemned what they called US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the possible spread of the conflict to other countries in the region.

The ministry added that Muttaqi and Al Busaidi stressed the importance of diplomacy to resolve regional tensions.

In recent days, Muttaqi has also held talks with representatives of several countries, including China, Russia and Qatar, about tensions with Pakistan.

He earlier told foreign diplomats in Kabul that the Taliban administration was facing what he described as an imposed war and had acted cautiously in defensive operations.