Pakistan Downplays Taliban’s New 8,000-Strong Border Force

According to the Taliban, participants stressed the need to ensure security and provide “special attention to Shia Muslims during Muharram”.

The meeting of the Taliban’s Central Security and Vetting Commission was held on Wednesday, June 24. Taliban officials said the country’s security situation was discussed and described Afghanistan’s overall security conditions as “reassuring”.

In a statement, the commission said the meeting emphasised the need for stronger security measures and special attention to the observance of Ashura ceremonies.

The Taliban’s assurances come as the group has imposed restrictions on Muharram commemorations in Kabul and several other areas, while also detaining several people for raising Muharram flags.

Earlier this week, Taliban authorities arrested between 25 and 40 people on the orders of Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaei. Some of the detainees were held in a private detention facility inside the Ministry of Justice building. They were later released following instructions from the Taliban prime minister and interior minister.

In recent days, Taliban forces have also raided several mosques in Kabul, while sources in Mazar-e-Sharif reported increased restrictions and the detention of Muharram mourners.

Previously, Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, during a leadership meeting at the Interior Ministry, called for the necessary measures to ensure public security throughout the month of Muharram.

The mission said women’s presence and voices are vital to achieving lasting peace, inclusive development and a brighter future for Afghanistan.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, UNAMA said ensuring the meaningful participation of women in public life and decision-making processes in Afghanistan remains a fundamental necessity.

The UN mission once again underlined the importance of providing equal opportunities for Afghan women and girls, saying they must be able to study, lead and play an effective role across all sectors of society, including diplomacy and public service.

International Day of Women in Diplomacy is observed annually on June 24 and aims to highlight the role of women in diplomacy, peacebuilding and international decision-making, while promoting their equal participation in global affairs.

UNAMA said women diplomats are not merely participants in international relations but also serve as leaders, peace mediators and advocates for equality, helping to strengthen international cooperation, advance peace and shape inclusive decision-making.

The mission added that women contribute to building a fairer, more stable and sustainable world through their knowledge, experience and perspectives, making their presence in diplomatic and public spheres especially important.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on the private and public lives of Afghan women, resulting in their gradual exclusion from public life.

Before the Taliban’s return to power, women played an active role in Afghanistan’s political decision-making. Under the previous government, women served in the cabinet and held senior positions, including governors, ambassadors, district governors and members of parliament.

Human rights activists say the Taliban have entrenched “gender apartheid” by systematically excluding women from society.

According to the sources, Sharaei also ordered the release of several other Shia detainees who are currently being held at the Kabul provincial detention centre.

The Taliban had arrested between 25 and 40 people on the justice minister’s orders. Some were held in Sharaei’s personal detention facility inside the Ministry of Justice building, while others were transferred to the Kabul provincial detention centre. The detainees spent three days in the minister’s private jail.

Sources said that Zia, deputy head of the security commission overseeing mosques, was among those detained in the minister’s personal prison and has now been released.

Earlier this week, Taliban forces detained Shia Muslims from mosques and Hussainiyas in western Kabul for raising Muharram flags.

Sources familiar with the matter told Afghanistan International that Sharaee released the Muharram mourners following instructions from Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

On Wednesday, a delegation of Shia community representatives, including Sayed Sufi Gardizi, Nematullah Ghafari, Sheikh Mubashir and university lecturer Yaser Mohseni, visited the Ministry of Justice on behalf of the Shia Ulema Council, the Office of Hazara Community Elders and the mosque and Hussainiya security commission.

According to the sources, following the meeting with Shia representatives, the Taliban justice minister released those held in his personal detention facility and also ordered the release of Shia detainees being held at the Kabul provincial detention centre.

In recent days, Taliban forces raided several Shia places of worship in Kabul, including Imam Hussain Mojtaba Mosque in the Telegraph Station area, Mohammadi Mosque in Qala-e Shahada, Nabi Akram Mosque in Omid Sabz Township, Gulzar-e Shohada Hussainiya in Sarkariz, Hasnain Mosque in Karte Seh, Resalat Seminary and the Afshari Mosque near the Ministry of Justice.

On Tuesday, the Taliban justice minister reportedly summoned several Shia elders to his office and detained them for several hours. Sources said they were released after providing assurances that Muharram flags would be taken down.

Speaking after a meeting of national security advisers in India, Shoigu said Afghan authorities had taken extensive measures to curb drug trafficking. Shoigu said Afghan authorities had developed a strategy to curb drug trafficking, consistently pursued it and succeeded in putting it into effect.

The Russian security chief, citing available data, stated that drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan had fallen by around 90 percent.

His remarks mark a notable shift from comments he made last month. On May 26, on the sidelines of the International Security Forum in Moscow, Shoigu said the situation in Afghanistan remains complex. The threats of drug and arms trafficking persist, and the activities of international terrorist groups and organisations continue.

After returning to power, the Taliban announced a nationwide ban on the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics. Although international assessments indicate a sharp decline in opium poppy cultivation, the practice has not been completely eradicated and continues in some provinces. Last year, efforts to destroy poppy fields in Badakhshan led to deadly clashes between Taliban forces and local farmers.

The United Nations has meanwhile warned that, alongside the decline in poppy cultivation, the production of synthetic drugs in Afghanistan is increasing. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a recent report that despite a 20 percent reduction in poppy cultivation, the manufacture of synthetic narcotics, particularly methamphetamine, has continued to rise.

According to the report, methamphetamine seizures in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries increased by around 50 percent by the end of 2024 compared with the previous year.

Kazba News Agency reported on Tuesday that Kazakhstan’s Eurasian Resources Group is considering either the direct purchase of a chromium mine or the creation of a joint venture with Afghan partners.

According to the report, during talks between Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and the Taliban administration’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the import of industrial-grade aquamarine stone to Kazakhstan for processing was discussed.

The report added that plans were also made to sign a memorandum of understanding for the export of 30,000 tons of zinc ore from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan for processing, in a deal valued at $18.8 million.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce previously announced that 25 cooperation agreements were signed between Afghan and Kazakh private-sector representatives during the Afghan Kazakh Business Forum in Kabul.

The agreements were signed during the visit of Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister to Kabul and are aimed at expanding trade and facilitating imports and exports between the private sectors of the two countries.

Leading a high-level delegation, Zhumangarin visited Kabul on June 21 and held separate meetings with senior Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Industry and Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi.

Although Kazakhstan, like most countries except Russia, has not formally recognised the Taliban administration, political and economic ties between the two sides have expanded significantly over the past five years. Senior officials from both sides have made repeated visits to Kabul and Astana.

Yerkin Tukumov, Kazakhstan’s special representative for Afghanistan, has said that removing the Taliban from Kazakhstan’s list of terrorist organisations does not amount to recognising the Taliban administration. He stressed that Kazakhstan’s policy remains one of engagement without formal recognition and described Afghanistan’s situation as still highly complex.

Referring to Afghanistan’s economic and social challenges, Tukumov said decades of experience have shown that any economic, humanitarian or institutional vacuum in the country is inevitably filled by destructive forces.