Nearly 23,000 Militants Operating In Afghanistan, Says Russian Security Chief

According to Russia’s TASS, Shoigu made the remarks during a meeting with President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov,and security council secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

He said participants should exchange views on global and regional crises with a direct impact on security, including the ongoing instability in Afghanistan, alongside the conflicts in Ukraine and the war involving Iran.

Shoigu said he intended to discuss a number of practical initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation in this area.

He said he believed these initiatives would strengthen the organisation’s international standing and demonstrate that member states follow an independent foreign policy.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes countries surrounding Afghanistan, has repeatedly warned in recent years about the consequences of insecurity and the activities of extremist groups in the country.

The European Union said in a post on X on Thursday, May 14, that it remained concerned about the situation of Afghan citizens, referring to a recent report by the United Nations Development Programme on the country’s humanitarian challenges.

The UNDP report said an unprecedented return of refugees, drought and declining aid had pushed Afghanistan deeper into crisis.

The report, published on May 13, stated that around 28 million people in Afghanistan were living in poverty in 2025 and that more than 80 per cent of households were in debt.

Over the past four years, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s work and girls’ education, showing no sign of easing those measures.

Three Kabul residents told Afghanistan International that after the explosions, the sound of warplanes and drones patrolling the skies above the city could be heard.

One resident said: “At around 3:25am, we heard gunfire followed by an explosion.” Another source also confirmed that “two powerful explosions” had occurred.

As of publication, Taliban authorities had not commented on the incident, and the exact cause of the explosions or any possible casualties and damage remained unclear.

According to the commission, the discussion took place during a meeting with the head of inspection at the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The commission said the Taliban promised cooperation and a “serious follow-up” on the matter, adding that officials had pledged to share the results of their investigation and any actions taken.

Afghanistan International reported on Monday, May 11, that Taliban morality officers had subjected Ayatollah Sharifi to “physical and insulting treatment” in Kabul.

Local sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality officers transferred the Shia cleric to Kabul’s District 18 police station and physically assaulted him.

According to the sources, the Taliban mistreated Sharifi because he had officiated the marriage of a couple before their wedding ceremony took place.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has not officially commented on the meeting with the Shia Commission or the reports concerning the treatment of the cleric.

The Taliban have consistently claimed that the rights of all ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan are protected under “Islamic law”, though international organisations and human rights groups have repeatedly challenged those claims.

Over the past five years, the Taliban have repeatedly detained, pressured and harassed Shia clerics and community elders for various reasons.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre published its Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026 on Tuesday, May 12. According to the report, more than 82 million people worldwide were displaced within their own countries last year.

The report says conflict and violence have become the main drivers of internal displacement, while natural disasters are another major cause. It describes internal displacement as evidence of a global structural crisis.

According to the report, conflict and violence caused a record 32.3 million internal displacements in 2025. The report also highlighted the situation in Afghanistan.

It said around 4.4 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan were specifically displaced by conflict and violence.

The report referred to deadly earthquakes in August and November 2025 in eastern provinces and Mazar-i-Sharif, which caused 8,000 new displacements, while many displaced people returned to damaged areas despite destroyed infrastructure.

It also stressed that decades of conflict, repeated droughts and a deep economic crisis have left Afghanistan with very limited resources for reconstruction and livelihoods.