Iran’s New Leader Offers Mediation In Taliban-Pakistan Conflict

According to the documents, Popal is now working temporarily as a local staff member at the embassy.

The Taliban prime minister’s office had asked Popal to hand over his duties before the end of his assignment.

A letter from the Taliban’s foreign ministry, sent by its head of personnel, Lutfullah Khpalwak, to the Afghan embassy in Germany two months ago, stated that Popal’s mission had ended on December 31, 2025 and instructed him to return to Kabul.

Afghanistan International has also obtained a copy of a letter from Popal in which he asked the Taliban to appoint him as a local employee at the embassy.

The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund. In response, the prime minister’s office said Popal’s diplomatic status should be maintained until March 20, but the note confirming the end of his mission should not be shared with the host country.

The letter also instructed Popal to hand over his duties to Nibras-ul-Haq Aziz, a diplomat appointed by the Taliban, before the formal end of his assignment.

In addition, Popal has been employed as a local staff member at the embassy with a salary of €2,500 in order to make use of his experience.

Diplomatic sources in Berlin told Afghanistan International that Germany’s foreign ministry has not been formally informed of the appointment.

According to the available information, the Taliban continue to use Popal in official dealings with the host country, while internally he is classified only as a local employee.

Popal was appointed acting ambassador a few months ago, replacing Yama Yari. He previously served as chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and is originally from Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

Under the previous Afghan government, he served as deputy head of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance.

Local Taliban officials in Kunar said that since Thursday, at least 72 mortar attacks have been carried out in parts of the province, with civilians also affected.

According to the Taliban, 25 artillery shells were fired in Nari district alone.

The officials added that civilian homes were targeted in the attacks but did not provide details on casualties or damage.

Meanwhile, local residents say the attacks have completely blocked routes linking Nari district in Kunar with Barg-e-Matal and Kamdesh districts in Nuristan.

A resident of Barg-e-Matal told Afghanistan International: People have no food. These roads have been closed for 25 days due to the fighting, and Pakistani forces are positioned on the heights. Anyone who tries to pass is shot at.

In response, Pakistan’s information ministry said there had been no ceasefire violations by its forces and described the Taliban’s claims as “baseless and without evidence”.

The ministry warned that any breach of the ceasefire would lead to its collapse and that any attacks would be met with full force.

The Taliban and Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire for Eid following pressure from Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. However, the Taliban defence ministry accused Pakistan of violating the truce, a claim denied by Islamabad.

Observers say the ceasefire is fragile and could collapse.

Democratic congresswoman Julie Johnson said Thursday she had requested answers from immigration authorities after reports that Mohammad Nazir Paktiawal, a former Afghan soldier, died at Parkland hospital a day after being detained outside his apartment in Richardson.

US immigration authorities have not announced the cause of death and said investigations are ongoing.

Paktiawal was a former member of Afghanistan’s special forces who had worked alongside US military special forces. He was relocated to the United States in 2021 with his family and had been living under temporary humanitarian parole, which expired in August 2025.

He lived in Texas with his wife and six children and worked at a grocery store.

In a letter to the head of the immigration agency, Johnson raised concerns about reported poor conditions and inadequate healthcare in detention centres and sought details about Paktiawal’s detention and medical condition.

She said the death appeared to be linked to what she described as reckless decisions by the agency and unnecessary detention.

Earlier, Democratic congressman Marc Veasey also called for an investigation into the case, saying the death raised urgent questions that required a full and transparent inquiry.

He added that the death of a former Afghan soldier who had supported US forces could send a troubling signal about whether the United States stands by its partners.

According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Paktiawal experienced shortness of breath and chest pain after being detained and was taken to hospital.

The incident comes amid broader concerns about conditions in immigration detention. According to sources, at least 32 people have died in such facilities since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, raising concerns about the treatment of migrants, particularly Afghan asylum seekers.

According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the country’s Information Ministry described the allegation as “baseless”.

The Taliban’s Defence Ministry had earlier accused Pakistan’s military of breaching the ceasefire in border areas.

Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of staff of the Taliban armed forces, said several civilians were killed in attacks by Pakistani forces in the border regions.

Ansari, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison on charges of cooperating with Afghan media outlets abroad, was freed from Bagram prison on Tuesday evening and reunited with his family in Kabul.

In a statement, the centre said Ansari’s fundamental rights had been seriously violated.

Ansari went missing on October 6, 2024 after leaving his workplace in the Pul-e-Sokhta area of Kabul. His family confirmed three days later that he had been detained by Taliban intelligence.

On January 1, 2025, a primary court in Kabul sentenced him to 18 months in prison on charges of propaganda against the Taliban authorities.

The Afghan Journalists Centre said Ansari was convicted without access to an independent defence lawyer and through an unfair process. It added that a video of his forced confession was released by Taliban intelligence during his detention.

According to the centre, at least 21 journalists and media workers were detained in Afghanistan in 2025.

With Ansari’s release, at least four journalists and media workers remain in detention, the organisation said.