Taliban Deputy Army Chief Visits Border Areas In Paktika

Taliban officials said the decision, ordered by Hibatullah Akhundzada, will take effect from Saturday, allowing Iranian transit vehicles to enter Afghanistan without visas or road permits.

The governor’s office said the measure is expected to reduce transport costs and lower the price of goods.

Herat’s Taliban governor, Noor Ahmad Islamjar, visited the Islam Qala border crossing on Friday to oversee preparations for implementing the decision. During the visit, he held talks with officials from relevant departments, including foreign affairs, public works, customs and transport.

According to the statement, foreign cargo vehicles will be allowed to enter through the Islam Qala crossing without visas or road permits, unload goods and then return to their destinations.

The office said the plan could help reduce transport costs and contribute to lower commodity prices, while also creating daily employment for more than 1,000 people.

Afghanistan and Iran maintain extensive trade ties. Before recent regional tensions, trade between the two sides was estimated at around $4 billion.

Afghanistan’s market, particularly in food, raw materials and construction supplies, is heavily dependent on Iranian imports.

However, rising tensions and conflict in the region have affected Afghanistan’s market, leading to increased prices for some goods and materials.

In a statement on Friday, the group said international humanitarian law requires all parties to take constant care to protect civilians and ensure that targets are lawful military objectives.

Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence indicates the Pakistani airstrike on the rehabilitation facility was unlawful. She added that Pakistani authorities should conduct an impartial investigation to determine why a center full of civilians was targeted and who should be held accountable.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes on at least nine targets in Kabul and Nangarhar on March 16. Bombs struck the Omid rehabilitation center in eastern Kabul, where hundreds of people were receiving treatment for drug addiction.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the operation as precision airstrikes targeting Taliban terrorist infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities, but did not mention the rehabilitation center.

International organisations reported that at least 143 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the attack, most of them patients.

Human Rights Watch said its investigation found no signs of secondary explosions typically associated with ammunition depots, such as bulk explosives or propellants. It also noted that the facility lacked the space required to safely store weapons or fuel.

The organisation stressed that hospitals and medical facilities are specially protected under the laws of war and only lose that protection if used for military purposes, and even then, require warning.

It added that attacks are prohibited if expected civilian harm is disproportionate to the anticipated military advantage.

Human Rights Watch said it found no evidence that the Omid center was used for military purposes, concluding that the strike violated the prohibition on disproportionate attacks under the laws of war.

He said the two sides have not yet reached any concrete agreements, but feasibility assessments are under way at expert level.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing Kabulov, that the talks are aimed at recruiting Afghan migrants for work in Russia.

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan said the Russian side in these discussions is acting “on the basis of the provisions of current migration laws and economic considerations”.

Gul Hassan, the Taliban’s ambassador to Russia, had previously said he had discussed with Moscow officials the possibility of recruiting Afghan workers for agricultural sectors in Russia.

The Taliban have also previously said they were in talks with several countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, about sending Afghan workers abroad. Experts, however, say sending workers overseas requires legal conditions and procedural steps that the Taliban administration is not able to fulfil. Efforts by the former Afghan government to send workers to the UAE and some other countries had also failed.

Pakistan had reopened the crossing on Thursday, after about a month, for the deportation of Afghan migrants.

The newspaper Dawn reported that the deportation of undocumented Afghans was halted on Friday after a border security official was wounded in a cross-border attack from Afghan territory on Thursday evening.

The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan had reopened on Thursday for the deportation of Afghan refugees. The crossing had been closed since February 26, at the same time Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab-il-Haq.

Pakistani officials at Torkham said border forces were placed on full alert after a member of the border force was wounded at the Awal Khan post near the frontier. The incident took place at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Pakistani sources at Torkham said that despite the full presence of staff from the National Database and Registration Authority, the Federal Investigation Agency, the National Logistics Cell, police and other government bodies, they were ordered to immediately stop the registration and deportation of Afghans. According to the sources, about 220 undocumented Afghans were registered on Thursday and then returned to their country through the Torkham crossing.

Pakistani security officials at Torkham said on Friday that the deportation process had been suspended because of the worsening security situation at the border, and that border forces remained on alert. They added that, because of what they described as the “aggressive behaviour of the Afghan side”, the process could not continue for now.

Amid rising tensions with the Taliban, Pakistan has deported millions of Afghan refugees in recent months. Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated to an unprecedented level. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of supporting militant groups, while the Taliban reject the allegation and say Pakistan is seeking to destabilise Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the temporary Eid ceasefire has ended, and Pakistani officials have stressed the resumption of Operation Ghazab-il-Haq.

He said any decision would be based on the principles of justice, inclusivity, respect for the rights of women and minorities, and guaranteed access to education.

Ibrahim spoke on Thursday with Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban prime minister, about current developments in the region, particularly tensions between the Taliban administration and Pakistan.

In a post on X, Malaysian prime minister said the two sides discussed ways to reduce tensions. He said he hoped the tensions would ease.

The Malaysian prime minister also voiced support for mediation efforts by Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to help lower tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan.

He also said Malaysia would continue its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

It was the first time Ibrahim has publicly spoken about reviewing recognition of the Taliban administration. So far, however, no Islamic country has recognised it.

Many Islamic countries oppose the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam, particularly on women’s education and employment. Last year, a number of scholars from across the Islamic world said at a meeting in Islamabad that banning girls from education has no basis in Islamic law.

Russia is the only country to have recognised the Taliban administration.