Afghan Returnees Face Urgent Humanitarian Needs, Says UN
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that amid escalating tensions in Iran, thousands of Afghans are returning to Afghanistan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that amid escalating tensions in Iran, thousands of Afghans are returning to Afghanistan.
The agency wrote on X on Saturday that for many families, this marks another cycle of displacement, and they require urgent support.
The UNHCR emphasised that Afghanistan is currently facing multiple crises.
The agency had previously stated that Afghan migrant families in Iran have been affected by the intensifying conflict, with many of them highly vulnerable due to their fragile circumstances.
The UNHCR also stressed the urgent need to protect civilians, ensure access to humanitarian assistance, and keep borders open for those seeking to leave the country.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban prevented Shia Muslims from holding Eid al-Fitr prayers in some areas of Kabul.
According to the sources, most Shia Muslims observed Eid on Saturday, but Taliban forces were deployed at the entrances of Shia mosques, including in western Kabul, to block the prayers.
An eyewitness from Kabul's District 6 told Afghanistan International: “The Taliban are not allowing Shia Muslims to enter the mosques.”
Another eyewitness from Kabul said Taliban forces in the Dasht-e Barchi area of Kabul “are preventing the holding of Eid prayers.”
The Taliban have not issued an official comment on the matter so far.
Sources previously confirmed to Afghanistan International that the Taliban had detained several Shia clerics.
The Taliban, unlike many other countries, declared Thursday as Eid al-Fitr and urged Shia Muslims to observe the holiday and perform prayers on that day.
Information received by Afghanistan International indicates that most Shia Muslims in Afghanistan did not follow the Taliban's directive.
Followers of Shia Islam in various countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Iraq, regard Saturday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
Shia clerics say that under Shia jurisprudence, the determination of Eid al-Fitr is the responsibility of religious authorities (marja' taqlid).
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the leading Shia religious authorities with followers in Afghanistan as well, announced Saturday as Eid al-Fitr.
A message attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, has been published, calling for improved relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve their relations in the interest of unity among Muslims and said he is willing to take steps to help.
In the message, issued on the occasion of the start of the Persian new year 1405, he said: we consider our eastern neighbours to be very close to us.
Since the outbreak of clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, Iranian officials have repeatedly called for de-escalation. However, both sides have paid little heed to Tehran’s efforts. Iran’s foreign minister has on several occasions offered to mediate and host talks between the Taliban and Pakistan, but Kabul and Islamabad have not acted on those proposals.
Iran itself is currently engaged in a full-scale military conflict with the United States and Israel, which has reduced the likelihood of its mediation efforts being taken seriously by either side.
The Islamic Republic maintains close relations with the Taliban, but the group did not attend a recent regional meeting in Tehran aimed at easing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.
This marks the first time Mojtaba Khamenei has publicly referred to the conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan. Iranian authorities are concerned that militant groups could exploit instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan to carry out attacks inside Iran.
Iran also maintains extensive economic ties with the Taliban. Before the recent clashes, Iran was the Taliban’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching around $4 billion.
Afghanistan International has obtained documents showing the Taliban have removed Abdul Baqi Popal, Afghanistan’s acting ambassador to Germany, from his post.
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.
The Taliban claim Pakistani artillery strikes have continued in Kunar province despite a temporary ceasefire between the two sides.
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.
US lawmakers have called for accountability following the death of an Afghan asylum seeker in immigration detention.
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.