Trade With Russia Hits $538 Million, Driven By Imports, Says Taliban

Hamdullah Fitrat, Taliban deputy spokesperson, said Pakistani soldiers had been firing into Afghan territory from the post. Writing on X on Tuesday, he said the shelling had caused harm to civilians.

Clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces have continued along the border for more than a month.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of supporting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and providing them with safe haven inside Afghanistan, an allegation the Taliban have repeatedly denied.

However, the limited progress has raised doubts about completing the 153-kilometre section by the end of 2026.

Hamdullah Fitrat wrote on X on Tuesday that construction work on the project is under way in Herat province, describing the progress as “significant”.

Available data show that work on the project inside Afghanistan remains confined to the Torghundi area of Herat, with other sections of the route yet to enter the implementation phase.

Around 16.3 per cent of the 153-kilometre route has been completed over the past four years.

The TAPI Pipeline, one of the region’s major energy projects, is intended to transport gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.

First proposed in the 1990s, the project gained momentum in 2003 with support from the Asian Development Bank. Construction began in Turkmenistan in 2015, and the Afghan section was inaugurated on February 23, 2018.

According to the information, the talks are expected to continue on Tuesday.

The Torkham crossing, which has been closed for months due to border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, was partially and one-sidedly reopened last week for the deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan. However, normal and commercial traffic has not yet resumed.

Pakistan had hoped that closing the border and deporting Afghan migrants would pressure the Taliban to curb attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. However, the continued closure of Torkham has caused significant losses for Afghan and Pakistani traders, prompting protests.

The meeting, held after weeks of intense clashes, signals a renewed willingness by both sides to engage in dialogue. Although Pakistani and Taliban forces clashed in Kunar on Sunday, Pakistani officials told Reuters the incident was minor and in response to Taliban fire.

While Pakistan has not announced the end of its “Ghazab lil Haq” operation, the intensity of its cross-border attacks into Afghanistan has decreased.

Analysts believe Pakistan is focused on the possible end of tensions between the United States and Iran, as such a conflict given Pakistan’s military ties with Saudi Arabia could draw Islamabad into a wider regional confrontation.

Yousuf Hammad, spokesperson for Taliban’s disaster management authority, said in a video message on Monday, March 30, that heavy rain and flooding over the past four days caused casualties and damage in Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Panjshir, Bamiyan, Daikundi, Paktia, Paktika, Logar, Zabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Balkh, Badghis, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Jawzjan, Faryab, Nangarhar, Laghman and Ghor.

The Taliban official added that 130 homes were completely destroyed, while 438 houses and 10 shops were partially damaged.

He said that during this period 24 waterways, 93 kilometers of roads, 30 water supply networks and 1,433 acres of agricultural land were destroyed. He noted that more than 1,130 families were affected overall by the heavy rain and flooding.

The authority urged people to stay away from rivers and waterways and to protect themselves and their property in line with guidance from the meteorological department.

According to reports, the executions were carried out secretly without prior notice to, or a final visit from, their families.

Mizan News Agency, the judiciary’s media outlet, confirmed the executions. The two prisoners were hanged early on Monday, March 30, at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj.

Akbar Daneshvar-Kar, 60, and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, 59, were sentenced to death in 2024 by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of rebellion through alleged membership of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organisation also known as People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

Mizan and other judiciary-affiliated media accused the two men of serious offences, including direct involvement in terrorist activities, manufacturing explosive launchers, forming illegal groups and links with opposition networks aimed at undermining national security.

The Hengaw human rights organisation said the Islamic Republic had extracted confessions from the prisoners under pressure and intense interrogation in connection with these charges.