Pakistani Artillery Strikes Continue In Kunar, Says Taliban

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.

A US State Department official told Afghanistan International that, under guidance from the US president, the Taliban’s behaviour would face consequences.

Last week, the United States placed the Taliban administration on its list of wrongful detention governments.

The official said the Taliban are engaging in hostage diplomacy.

He added that the designation by the State Department is a direct response to the continued and unjust detention of American citizens by the Taliban for political gain.

According to the official, the administration of President Donald Trump is sending a clear message that if Americans are detained, there will be consequences consistent with this designation.

He also referred to remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said these abhorrent tactics must end.

Unlike most Muslim countries, the Taliban announced Thursday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr, while Saudi Arabia said Friday, March 20, would mark the start of Eid.

According to the sources, the Taliban’s Department of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Herat held a meeting on Tuesday attended by mosque imams and members of the Shia Ulema Council.

At the meeting, the Taliban presented a document and asked those present to sign it, committing to observe Eid in line with the Taliban’s announcement.

The sources said Shia scholars rejected the request, stating that in Shia jurisprudence the timing of Eid and fasting is determined by religious authorities.

According to the sources, during the meeting the Taliban detained Mohammad Rohani, head of religious schools in south-west Afghanistan and director of the Sadeqia seminary.

They added that on Wednesday the Taliban also detained Khodadad Ehsani, a representative of Ayatollah Mohaqiq Kabuli and preacher at the Al-Mahdi mosque in Jebrail, Mohammad Akbari, former head of the Jebrail Ulema Council, and several other Shia clerics in Herat, transferring them to prison.