Destroyed Taliban Outposts Along Chaman-Spin Boldak Border, Says Pakistan

In a statement on Wednesday, April 29, the ministry said the process of reviewing, verifying and reclaiming “grabbed” land is ongoing across Afghanistan. It did not specify who had occupied the land or what action had been taken against them.

The Taliban claims it has so far identified large areas of land in Kabul and other provinces as unlawfully seized and returned them to state ownership.

This process continues despite the absence of any independent and impartial body in Afghanistan to handle complaints from citizens who say the Taliban have forcibly taken their land and registered it under “emirate” ownership.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Dujarric stressed that the continuation of clashes is significantly increasing humanitarian needs and the suffering of civilians.

He added that the attacks also damaged a student dormitory at a university, a fuel depot and a drug treatment centre.

He further noted that more than 100,000 people in Afghanistan have been displaced following tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban.

The UN spokesperson called on both the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect civilians at all times.

Earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan had also confirmed that dozens of people were killed and injured in Monday evening’s attacks on Asadabad in Kunar, without explicitly naming Pakistan.

However, Pakistan has rejected the Taliban’s claims that civilian areas were targeted, calling them blatant lies. Islamabad says the Afghan Taliban are distorting facts to gain sympathy and to conceal support for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Speaking at a press briefing, the European Commission spokesperson said contacts with the Taliban at a technical level have continued since October last year. According to him, these contacts are aimed at facilitating the return of Afghans considered a security threat.

Referring to a joint letter from officials of 20 EU member states, he said it had called on the European Commission and relevant bodies to pursue technical talks with the Taliban to coordinate the return of individuals who do not have the right to remain in the European Union.

Lammert also pointed to a letter by Ursula von der Leyen last year, which stressed the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to returning individuals to Afghanistan.

He added: “Any decision on returns is an individual decision taken by the authorities of member states. It must be made on a case-by-case basis and after a full assessment of files, particularly asylum applications.”

Earlier reports had suggested that the European Union planned to invite a Taliban delegation to Brussels to discuss the deportation of Afghan migrants. The reports drew widespread reactions, and some women activists called on the EU in a letter to cancel the visit.

Sources told Zawia News the statement was edited by a Pakistani delegation, with discussions over specific wording. The main disagreement reportedly centred on whether to use the term “protest letter” or “demarche”, with the latter ultimately included.

A source within the Taliban foreign ministry said a “protest note” in diplomatic practice signals strong dissatisfaction with another country’s actions, while a “demarche” is typically used to express a difference of opinion. As a result, issues such as the bombardment of Kunar and the university incident were framed as matters of disagreement rather than formal protest.

Pakistan has shelled Kunar province for the past two days, with civilian casualties reported. Sources say at least 70 people were injured at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University alone.

Following the attacks, the Taliban summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in coordination with the embassy, according to sources.

They added that the Pakistani embassy had requested that no photos or videos of the meeting be released. Official Taliban foreign ministry social media accounts show no images from the meeting.

However, shortly afterwards, images were published of a meeting between Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s foreign minister, and Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan.

The Taliban has not yet responded militarily to the Pakistani strikes. On Tuesday, the group’s higher education minister said the lack of response should not be seen as weakness, adding that action would be taken according to circumstances.

Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan remain strained. The Taliban had earlier expressed optimism about the Urumqi talks, describing them as “positive”, but cross-border attacks have continued since.

China hosted talks between Pakistani and Taliban delegations in the city of Urumqi from April 1- 7.

The UK Defence Minister, Pollard, stressed that these individuals will receive no assistance from the UK to leave Afghanistan.

He added that eligible Afghans “need to make their own way to a third country when they are able to do so”, where they will receive housing and visa support until 2028.

Pollard said some eligible individuals had already travelled independently this year to third countries such as Pakistan. He explained that, after reviewing evidence of successful self-relocations and reassessing risks and other factors, including cost savings for taxpayers, the government had decided to end in-country support for departures.

The National Audit Office said in March that, without faster relocations, it could take nearly three more years to move all Afghans promised refuge in the UK.

Resettlement schemes for Afghans were closed to new applicants in July last year. Shortly afterwards, it emerged that the Ministry of Defence was responsible for a major data breach involving applicants’ personal details, an incident the department said put thousands of lives at risk.

These families qualified for relocation due to their previous work with British forces in Afghanistan or because their details were exposed.

Ministers had previously pledged to relocate all eligible Afghans by March 2029 under the new Afghan resettlement programme. However, Pollard said on Tuesday that the final deadline has been set for December 2028, after which all support and transfers will end.

The Ministry of Defence has also ended the use of short-term accommodation in defence facilities for Afghan families. Pollard told MPs: “we cannot sustain ARP support indefinitely.”

He said six hotels are currently being used to house Afghan families, two of which will close within days.

Last week, The Independent reported that two Afghans approved for relocation had filed a case at the High Court, accusing the Ministry of Defence of failing to help them leave Afghanistan.

Sara de Jong, who supports former Afghan military interpreters, said the decision to end in-country support would come as a “complete shock” to those offered relocation.

“The fact that some have been able to escape doesn’t mean that that option is open to everyone,” she said.

She added that those unable to leave hiding places to obtain documents or afford the high cost of visas have effectively been abandoned. She also warned that ongoing security tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan make independent relocation even more difficult.