Pakistan-Taliban Tensions Cost Trade Sector $850 Million

According to the report, the campaign begins with phishing emails containing compressed files that include a malicious shortcut file labelled in Pashto. Researchers say the use of the Pashto language suggests the attackers had detailed knowledge of the environment and structure of Taliban-controlled institutions.

The operation was not limited to the Taliban Finance Ministry and also targeted provincial financial and revenue offices, Pashto-speaking officials and local government employees.

The malware reportedly enables attackers to log keystrokes, capture screenshots, access webcams and microphones, steal data and establish covert communications.

It also maintains persistence on infected systems by disguising itself as the Microsoft Edge browser and modifying the Windows registry.

Experts believe the group, known as “SideCopy”, is linked to the larger cyber espionage network “Transparent Tribe” or “APT36”, which has previously carried out cyberattacks against targets in South Asia, particularly in India.

The report comes shortly after a similar campaign targeting Indian military infrastructure was identified.

In those attacks, malware was spread through malicious files disguised as ordinary documents or shared via messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.

In this type of cyberattack, the malware is first installed through an infected file and then connects to a server controlled by the attackers, allowing them to gain remote access to the targeted system.

Once access is established, hackers can operate almost as if they were physically sitting behind the computer, accessing files, running programmes, stealing information and monitoring user activity.

In an article published by The Guardian on Wednesday, June 3, Koofi discussed the situation of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and the continued violations of human rights and restrictive policies targeting women and girls.

The former Afghan parliamentarian wrote that after five years of Taliban rule, there has been no sign of improvement in the condition of women in Afghanistan.

Referring to Taliban restrictions on women and girls, the women’s rights activist wrote that a bird enjoys more legal protection than an Afghan woman.

Koofi also pointed to the rapid expansion of religious schools across Afghanistan, saying that while girls are barred from formal education, these institutions continue to grow without restrictions.

She stressed that Afghanistan has exposed a major gap in the international legal system because there is no effective legal framework to prosecute systematic violations of women’s rights.

Koofi warned that engaging with the Taliban without holding the group accountable risks legitimising repression and human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

She called on governments worldwide to criminalise gender apartheid and end impunity for those responsible in order to hold the Taliban accountable.

The two-day conference, held under the slogan “Building Peace and Democracy”, began on Tuesday, June 2, at Spain’s Foreign Ministry headquarters in Madrid. Government officials, representatives of international organisations, civil society groups and women’s rights activists from around 60 countries are attending the event.

In his remarks, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares referred to a special space at the ministry that hosts the annual “HearUs” conference attended by Afghan women and associations in exile.

He also noted that one of the halls at Spain’s Foreign Ministry has been named after Afghan women, saying the name should remain permanently so that the voices of Afghan women are never silenced.

Albares added that the voice and action of Afghan women are also present at the current conference.

France’s Minister Delegate for International Partnerships, Eléonore Caroit, also described the situation of Afghan women and girls as one of the clearest examples of women’s rights violations in the world and stressed the need for global support.

Fawzia Koofi, Afghan women’s rights activist and politician, spoke during a panel on the role of women in peacebuilding and the future of democracy. She said that the policy of appeasement adopted by some countries towards the Taliban had strengthened the group’s repression of women.

Koofi warned that European countries should not legitimise a culture of gender apartheid under the pretext of deporting migrants.

Two special sessions on Afghanistan are being held during the conference: one on gender apartheid and another on the role of women in peace and democracy. Around 140 civil society organisations and feminist groups are also participating.

The organisers stressed that sustainable peace and genuine democracy are impossible without the full participation of women, and that support for Afghan women must remain part of global commitments to human rights and gender justice.

In the same hearing, Senator Chris Coons said that around 1,100 former Afghan colleagues, including 400 children and 150 family members of US service personnel, remain stranded in Qatar.

He warned that these individuals could be sent back to Afghanistan or transferred to countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently grappling with the spread of the Ebola virus.

The Democratic senator called on the US Secretary of State to work with Congress to bring these individuals, particularly the family members of US service personnel, to the United States.

Rubio, however, replied: "We're obviously operating right now under a directive that prohibits the entry of Afghans into the United States." He explained that the directive followed last year's attack on members of the National Guard.

Rubio said the United States had been "engaging every single day" with several countries to accept some of these Afghans, and that several countries had indicated their willingness to take in some of those waiting in limbo.

He told Senator Coons that the administration would continue to work to find suitable locations to resettle these individuals.

Following the shooting by an Afghan asylum seeker of US National Guard personnel in Washington last November, the Trump administration tightened restrictions on the admission and travel of Afghans to America. Under a directive, Trump banned the entry into the United States of citizens of 12 countries, including Afghanistan.

American media have reported that the Trump administration is examining a plan to transfer several of the Afghan asylum seekers currently at the Al Sayliyah camp in Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The plan has drawn widespread criticism. More than 600 former US civilian and military officials, in an open letter, have called on the Secretary of State to abandon the proposal to transfer Afghan asylum seekers to Congo.

Meanwhile, Chris Coons criticised America's current restrictive policies on asylum seekers, saying that those who entered the United States under asylum programmes had been among those who passed the most stringent security vetting and had played an important role in the country's development.

He added that asylum seekers who had fled repression and instability in countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Afghanistan had, over recent decades, made a significant contribution to the progress of the United States.

One former detainee, who asked not to be identified, said the Taliban detained him for 24 hours without any clear charge and subjected him to severe abuse during interrogation.

He alleged that Taliban forces blindfold detainees, tie their hands and feet, and use electric shocks during torture.

Another former prisoner from Kunduz province said many arrests are carried out without evidence of wrongdoing and often involve accusations such as cooperating with opposition groups.

According to him, some detainees continue to face mistreatment and torture even after being transferred to prison facilities.

These accounts emerge amid earlier reports that a young man in Herat died because of torture while in Taliban custody.

A relative of another detainee also described similar experiences in Taliban prisons. According to the family member, his brother was arrested without committing any crime, tortured in detention and later asked to spy for the Taliban among local people after his release.

Another man whose son is currently being held by the Taliban claimed his son was tortured in custody and forced to give a confession.

The sources requested anonymity because of fears of security repercussions and possible risks to themselves and their families.

Previously, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected such reports in an interview with Afghanistan International and insisted that Taliban laws prohibit torture at all stages of detention and imprisonment.

The Taliban’s claims have also been challenged by some former female detainees. Zarifa Yaqobi, a former prisoner, previously said that she and her colleagues were subjected to various forms of torture and forced confessions in Taliban intelligence detention facilities.