Norwegian & Uzbek Officials Stress Need To Resolve Afghanistan Issues

Noorullah Noori, the Taliban’s minister for borders and tribal affairs, said on Thursday at a meeting in Jawzjan province: “In four years, the youth of the Islamic Emirate have reached a level where they can target Islamabad and Lahore from Kabul using drones.”

He said the Taliban administration is strong and that Afghans should be grateful for its rule and support it with “full faith”.

Following an escalation in clashes between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, the Taliban reportedly targeted Islamabad, Balochistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with drones. These attacks were carried out in response to Pakistani airstrikes and military actions inside Afghanistan.

The strikes drew a strong reaction from Pakistan. President Asif Ali Zardari said the Taliban had “crossed red lines”.

Noori is among Taliban ministers known for taking a hard line against Pakistan. He had previously warned that if Pakistan continued attacks on Afghan territory, Taliban forces would advance as far as Lahore.

Earlier, Noori rejected the existing border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as the Durand Line, a sensitive issue for both countries, and said the barbed wire along the frontier was “a thorn in the chest of the Afghan people”.

Although the Taliban were allied with Pakistan over the past three decades, with Islamabad providing extensive military and political support during the conflict with the mujahideen and the former Afghan republic, relations have deteriorated into military confrontation since the group’s return to power in 2021.

Analysts say Islamabad supported the Taliban for its own security interests, but the group has become a major security challenge for Pakistan by backing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The Institute for Economics and Peace said in its latest Global Terrorism Index that Pakistan has, for the first time, ranked as the country most affected by terrorism. According to the report, Pakistan suffered the highest impact from terrorist attacks in 2025.

The institute said the sharp rise in militant activity is partly a consequence of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Deaths from attacks by militant groups such as the TTP in Pakistan have reached their highest level since 2013. In 2025, Pakistan recorded 1,139 deaths and 1,045 terrorist incidents, with most attacks occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

For the first time since the index was introduced, Afghanistan is no longer among the ten countries most affected by terrorism.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday in a video posted on X that humanitarian organisations have begun relief operations in affected areas but needs remain high and available resources are insufficient to meet the scale of the crisis.

The United Nations has called on the international community to increase support for the people of Afghanistan. The recent floods come as the country faces multiple humanitarian and economic crises.

According to figures released by Taliban authorities, the total number of people killed in recent natural disasters across Afghanistan has reached around 190 in recent days.

Mohammad Sadiq wrote on Thursday, April 16, that he also discussed expanding relations and trade with Gilles Bertrand. He said both sides stressed the importance of coordinated engagement.

The Pakistani envoy for Afghanistan had earlier, on February 26, reported a phone call with Bertrand on human rights and terrorism threats linked to Afghanistan, but did not provide further details.

Sadiq had also previously held talks with Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Iran’s director general for South Asia at the foreign ministry, on counterterrorism.

These discussions come as tensions between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan continue.

The latest round of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan in Urumqi, China, also failed to produce results.

Pakistani officials claim that the Afghan Taliban are sheltering anti-Islamabad militant groups, particularly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), inside Afghanistan, an allegation the Taliban deny.

Noorullah Noori, the Taliban’s minister for borders and tribal affairs, said at a meeting in Jawzjan province that the group is responsible for addressing the problems of the Afghan people. He added: “The world is convinced that Afghans will not accept any attack against them.”

These remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the Taliban said it had attacked Pakistani forces in response to shelling and drone strikes by Pakistan, killing several of them.

Earlier, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, said during a meeting with the Saudi ambassador in Kabul that minor issues should not hinder the negotiation process.

Speaking on Thursday, April 16, at a meeting in Kabul on implementing an order by Hibatullah Akhundzada on “preventing harmful practices”, Muttaqi addressed several points outlined in the decree.

He emphasised that the Taliban bears responsibility for enforcing the principle of promoting virtue and preventing vice. He also called on Taliban officials to study religious subjects alongside modern educational programmes.

Muttaqi said: “Balance must be maintained in administrative, political and religious affairs. We pursue balance because we do not want friendship with one country and conflict with another.”

He also said that officials from all ethnic groups are present in Taliban institutions, adding that this has contributed to progress and stability in the country.

The foreign minister made these claims despite repeated criticism of the Taliban over the past four years for monopolising power, excluding women from governance, lacking inclusive political participation, and ignoring Afghanistan’s ethnic and social diversity.