Taliban Defence Chief Holds Security Meet As Border Tensions With Pakistan Rise

The ministry said on Wednesday, April 29, that the devices had been operating illegally in Yakawlang district of Bamiyan province.

In recent years, some Afghan citizens, particularly in remote areas, have sought to use satellite networks to access the internet and online education. For some girls barred from schooling, this technology has provided a way to attend online classes.

Starlink is a satellite internet network owned by Elon Musk and the company SpaceX, connecting users directly to satellites via small ground dishes. The system does not rely on fiber optics or domestic telecom networks, allowing relatively high-speed internet even in remote areas.

The Taliban have restricted public use of the network, despite earlier reports that some Taliban officials themselves have used Starlink.

Afghanistan International reported last year that a number of Taliban officials had accessed the internet via the satellite network, at a time when public internet access was restricted in parts of Afghanistan.

The sources said, “Pakistan Army effectively targeted and destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts in Chaman”.

On Sunday, Pakistani forces reportedly destroyed Afghan Taliban artillery positions in South Waziristan. The sources said the action followed an incident in which Afghan Taliban forces opened fire on civilians, injuring three people, including two women.

With a renewed rise in militant activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where attacks increasingly target security and law enforcement personnel, Pakistan has intensified its counterterrorism operations.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban to dismantle TTP safe havens on Afghan soil, a request that has so far gone unanswered.

However, Pakistani security sources said that “Operation Ghazab-il-Haq” against Afghan Taliban and militant groups operating from Afghanistan will continue.

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.