The Afghanistan Media Support Organisation says the Taliban detained a female journalist and her colleagues in Kabul for covering Ashura ceremonies, raising concern over growing restrictions on the media.
In a statement on Friday, 26 June, the Afghanistan Media Support Organisation (AMSO) said the Taliban arrested the female journalist for working alongside a “stranger male cameraman” and transferred her and her colleagues to a Kabul police district.
According to the media rights group, they remained in Taliban custody until around the evening and were later released following mediation by media officials and family members.
For security reasons, AMSO did not identify the female journalist, the male cameraman or the media outlet involved.
The organisation described Taliban restrictions on the media as a clear violation of freedom of expression and the right of access to information. It said the Taliban had deliberately prevented coverage of the religious Ashura ceremonies.
The statement said covering religious and cultural events was part of the media’s professional responsibilities.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) and the National Resistance Front (NRF) said in separate Ashura messages that Taliban pressure on Shia Muslims is fuelling sectarian tensions and threatening Afghanistan’s religious and cultural diversity.
The two anti-Taliban military and political groups accused the Taliban of imposing restrictions on Shia religious ceremonies and undermining the country’s long-standing religious and cultural pluralism.
In a statement issued on Friday, 26 June, the National Resistance Front said the area stretching from Dasht-e-Barchi in western Kabul to Badakhshan had become “the geography of a contemporary Karbala”.
Without naming the Taliban directly, the NRF said “the swords of oppression and injustice” had been imposed on the Afghan people and were targeting the values of tolerance, equality and mutual acceptance.
The front accused the “enemies of Afghanistan’s dignity” of pursuing a “Yazidi policy” by enforcing discrimination and seeking to eliminate the country’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity.
In an apparent reference to the Taliban, the statement added: “They want the people to bow to oppression and pledge allegiance to their false claim, but the message of Ashura is to remain steadfast in upholding Imam Hussein’s blood-red legacy and never surrender to the coercion of the takfiris.”
Videos received by Afghanistan International showed that Ashura commemorations were widely observed on Friday in several parts of Herat, including Jebrail, Bakrabad and Andisha Township.
In a separate statement, the Afghanistan Freedom Front said this year’s Ashura took place amid what it described as burdensome Taliban restrictions on mourning ceremonies and the personal conduct of Shia mourners, warning that such measures were fuelling “religious hatred and tension in Afghanistan”.
The group said the removal of Muharram flags and symbols, together with the arrest, intimidation and humiliation of Shia Muslims in recent days, were clear examples of “systematic discrimination and the promotion of religious hatred” against Afghan citizens.
Several prominent Afghan political figures also issued messages marking Ashura, including former President Hamid Karzai, former Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar and former lawmaker Fawzia Koofi.
Karzai said Imam Hussein had launched a profound reform movement by exposing social injustice and calling for change. He said Imam Hussein remained steadfast until his death in order to awaken society and encourage people to take responsibility in the face of wrongdoing, leaving behind the enduring legacy of Karbala.
Atmar described Ashura as one of the most enduring and inspiring events in Islamic history, saying it had permanently embedded the values of freedom, justice, patience, sacrifice and steadfastness in the pursuit of truth within the collective memory of Muslims.
Koofi said Ashura teaches resistance against oppression, authoritarianism and tyranny, as well as the defence of truth. She added that the events of Karbala demonstrate that the voice of truth can never be silenced.
In recent days, the Taliban has imposed extensive restrictions on Muharram mourners in Kabul, Herat and several other cities. Taliban authorities removed Muharram flags and religious symbols from public spaces, while the group’s justice minister detained several Shia community elders over the organisation of mourning ceremonies.
As Ashura commemorations were under way on Friday, local sources and residents in Kabul, Herat, Bamiyan and Ghazni told Afghanistan International that mobile telecommunications services had been cut off since early that morning.
Some residents, however, said Wi-Fi internet services remained available and that only mobile phone networks had been disconnected.
Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry has announced that a team of the country’s doctors has been deployed to Afghanistan to provide medical care and perform surgeries.
The ministry said the specialists are working in local hospitals and carrying out several complex operations each day.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry said the team includes senior specialists in orthopaedics, traumatology, cardiology, paediatrics, general surgery, urology, pulmonology and epidemiology.
According to the ministry, the mission is primarily focused on treating patients suffering from severe injuries and congenital musculoskeletal disorders.
The orthopaedic specialists are said to examine up to 40 patients each day and select the most complex cases for surgery. They perform between three and four reconstructive operations daily to help patients regain mobility.
The ministry noted that this is Kazakhstan’s second major medical mission to Afghanistan following the devastating earthquake that struck the country late last year.
It also said that alongside the medical mission, Kazakhstan delivered a large humanitarian aid shipment weighing a total of 318.8 tons to Afghanistan.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned in its World Drug Report 2026 that the unprecedented collapse in opium production in Afghanistan, alongside the spread of synthetic opioids, is reshaping the global drug market.
According to the report, published on Friday, Afghanistan, which produced around 80% of the world’s illicit opium until 2022, has seen opium production fall by 95% following the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation.
The area under poppy cultivation declined from around 232,000 hectares in 2022 to 10,200 hectares in 2025, while opium production fell from 6,200 tons to about 296 tons.
However, the UN says existing opium stockpiles in Afghanistan are expected to last until the end of 2026.
Heroin No Longer Dominates the Market
The UN says heroin’s century-long dominance of the global opioid market is now being challenged.
According to the report, two simultaneous developments are transforming the global opioid trade: the sharp decline in Afghan opium production and the rapid expansion of powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes.
It says these trends together are driving a fundamental shift in global opioid markets.
Traffickers Seek Alternatives to Heroin
The UN warns that reduced heroin supplies are pushing traffickers to seek new alternatives.
The report says actual or perceived disruptions in heroin supply could encourage traffickers to turn to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, nitazenes and other emerging substances.
According to the UN, these drugs are cheaper, more potent and easier to manufacture than heroin because they do not require poppy cultivation.
The organisation says this trend could shift the global opioid market from plant-based narcotics to synthetic drugs.
Afghan Stockpiles Remain Available
Despite the collapse in production, the UN says Afghanistan’s remaining opium stockpiles have not yet been exhausted.
Its estimates suggest these reserves are likely to last until the end of 2026.
The report adds that continuing seizures of heroin and opium in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries are largely linked to these remaining stockpiles.
However, the volume of seizures has declined compared with the period before the Taliban’s cultivation ban, indicating tighter global supplies.
Heroin Prices Have Risen
The UN says lower heroin supplies have driven prices higher in consumer markets.
Across 12 major destination markets for Afghan heroin, the price of one gram of pure heroin nearly doubled during 2023 and 2024, rising from around $250 to almost $500.
At the same time, heroin purity has declined, reflecting growing pressure on supply.
No Country Has Replaced Afghanistan
The report says no other country has compensated for Afghanistan’s collapse in opium production.
Although Myanmar became the world’s largest opium producer in 2023, with production exceeding 1,000 tons, the UN says this increase is linked to the country’s internal conflict rather than Afghanistan’s reduced output.
Likewise, no significant rise in production has been recorded in Mexico or Laos.
Signs of Regional Relocation
The UN has identified early indications that some poppy cultivation may be shifting to countries neighbouring Afghanistan.
According to the report, the area of destroyed poppy fields in India and Pakistan increased from 5,868 hectares in 2022 to 13,200 hectares in 2023.
However, the organisation says that even if production rises elsewhere, replacing Afghanistan’s role quickly will be difficult.
Synthetic Opioids Continue to Expand
The report shows that after two years of decline, the number of new synthetic opioids detected in global markets increased again.
Cases recorded in 2023 and 2024 rose across most regions, with particularly sharp increases in Europe, Oceania and Africa.
In North America, where fentanyl has largely replaced heroin, the number of newly identified synthetic opioids rose by around 10% in 2024.
The increase exceeded 80% in Europe and reached about 150% in Oceania.
Global Drug Use Continues to Rise
The World Drug Report 2026 says global drug use continues to increase. Around 331 million people used drugs in 2024, a rise of 34% compared with a decade earlier.
Cannabis remains the world’s most widely used drug, with 256 million users. Around 63 million people used opioids, 32 million used amphetamines and 25 million used cocaine.
The UN says global cocaine production has reached a record high of more than 4,000 tons, while the market for synthetic drugs is expanding rapidly.
In 2024, the number of newly identified psychoactive substances worldwide reached 755, the highest level ever recorded.
According to the report, around 63 million people worldwide are living with drug use disorders, yet only one in 12 has access to treatment.
The UN concludes that the collapse in Afghanistan’s opium production, the rise of synthetic drugs, record cocaine production and shifting trafficking routes are collectively reshaping the structure of the global drug market.
Nearly five years after taking power, the Taliban are seeking to transform their fighters into a regular army by finding new ways to equip armoured units, artillery, an air force and logistical networks.
As part of this effort, on May 27, during the Moscow International Security Meeting, Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid signed a military-technical cooperation agreement with Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council. Under the deal, Moscow will refurbish Soviet-era military equipment currently in the Taliban’s possession.
The agreement comes as relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have remained strained since January, with Pakistani aircraft repeatedly striking Kabul and Afghanistan’s border provinces.
According to findings by Afghanistan International, the Taliban has asked Moscow to help restore weapons, armoured vehicles, air defence systems and even repair and reactivate fighter jets and military helicopters under the new agreement.
Reviving the Soviet Legacy
According to multiple sources in the Taliban’s Defence Ministry, Administrative Affairs Office, General Directorate of Intelligence and Foreign Ministry, the military-technical agreement covers five main areas: troop training, technical support for weapons, intelligence cooperation, operations against armed groups Russia considers a threat, and logistical cooperation.
Sources said the main focus of the partnership is combating the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), which Moscow regards as a serious threat to Russia and Central Asia.
Russia has pledged to repair and supply small arms to strengthen Taliban outposts along the Durand Line and the borders with Central Asian states.
However, Taliban requests extend well beyond that.
A source in the Taliban Administrative Affairs Office’s Defence and Security Directorate told Afghanistan International that the group is seeking direct ties with Russia’s military-industrial complex to facilitate both the purchase and maintenance of weapons.
The Taliban has prepared a list of 14,803 rifles from the AK family for refurbishment, with Russia expected to repair the weapons and provide ammunition. The list includes AK-47, AKM, AKMS and AK-74 assault rifles, commonly known in Afghanistan as Kalashnikovs.
It also includes 8,632 AKS-74U (Krinkov) carbines, SKS semi-automatic rifles and SVD Dragunov sniper rifles requiring repairs. In addition, the Taliban has requested the refurbishment of 21,032 Makarov, TT-33 and Stechkin automatic pistols.
Military analysts say many of these weapons entered Afghanistan during the Soviet-backed governments and through decades of conflict.
Although the US-made weapons currently held by the Taliban are more advanced than Soviet designs, their use has declined steadily because of limited access to spare parts, ammunition and maintenance services.
The Taliban has also identified heavy weapons for repair, including 765, DShK heavy machine guns, PKM machine guns, ZU anti-aircraft guns, KPV heavy machine guns and RPK light machine guns. These weapons remain important for battlefield operations and defending military outposts.
In the anti-armour category, the Taliban has requested not only RPG-7 rocket launchers, SPG-9 and B-10 recoilless guns, but also guided anti-tank missiles such as the 9M14 Malyutka and 9K111 Fagot.
The Malyutka and Fagot are Soviet-designed anti-tank missiles regarded as among the most lethal weapons against heavily armoured targets. The first-generation Malyutka is manually guided with a joystick and can engage tanks at ranges of up to three kilometres. The second-generation Fagot is more advanced, launched from a tube and guided semi-automatically through an optical sight.
Sources said the Taliban’s Defence Ministry has listed these systems as requested equipment because their current availability has not been confirmed.
According to the sources, the Taliban has also specifically requested shoulder-fired air defence systems such as the Strela and Igla. These Soviet- and Russian-made missiles use infrared guidance to track the heat signature of aircraft engines.
The systems are primarily designed to shoot down low-flying aircraft, including helicopters, military transport planes and some fighter aircraft.
The request comes as analysts argue that Afghanistan’s airspace remains insecure, with repeated reports of unidentified drones flying over the country.
Taliban Seek to Restore Soviet-Era Tanks and Armoured Vehicles
The Afghan Defence Ministry’s inventory includes 76 BTR-60 and BTR-70 eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers, BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and T-55 and T-62 tanks. Previous estimates suggested the fleet once totalled around 460 vehicles.
Sources within the Taliban Defence Ministry told Afghanistan International that these vehicles are also on the refurbishment list. Only 21 are currently operational, while the remainder require extensive repairs.
During the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989), BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles played a significant role in Soviet military operations. Combat experience exposed serious shortcomings in the BMP-1’s design, accelerating the deployment of the improved BMP-2.
Military analysts say the BMP-1, originally designed for combat on Europe’s open plains, struggled in Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain. Its 73mm gun proved less effective against Mujahideen positions at high altitudes, while its armour was vulnerable to RPG-7 rockets and heavy machine-gun fire. Many of these weaknesses were addressed in the BMP-2.
The Taliban has also requested repairs to 31 self-propelled 152mm artillery systems and 27 multiple rocket launchers.
According to the sources, the Taliban-controlled Defence Ministry also possesses 3,020 Russian-made KamAZ trucks, artillery transporters, trailers and specialised tank transporters, although it remains unclear how many require refurbishment.
The issue of KamAZ vehicles was also discussed during the Kazan Economic Forum in May between Taliban representatives and officials from Russia and Tatarstan.
Will the “Devil’s Chariot” Fly Again?
Perhaps the most significant Taliban request concerns the air force.
The group has asked Russia to repair 11 Mi-8 and Mi-17 transport helicopters, along with four Mi-24 attack helicopters. The Mi-24, known in Afghanistan as the “Devil’s Chariot”, is widely used for close air support missions.
The Taliban has also requested repairs to 12 Soviet-era combat aircraft, including MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters, as well as Su-22 and Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
These aircraft are currently stored in hangars at Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Khost, Bagram and Kandahar airports.
Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s presidential envoy for Afghanistan, said Moscow and the Taliban administration want Afghanistan’s frozen assets to be released. However, he said no breakthrough is expected soon because the United States and Europe are ignoring the issue.
Speaking to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Kabulov said the current deadlock was the result of Western actions.
Kabulov said the responsibility for releasing Afghanistan’s frozen assets lies with the United States and European countries, as they were the ones that imposed the freeze, not Russia or the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Kabulov added that there are currently no discussions with either the United States or European governments on the issue.
Russia has repeatedly raised the matter at regional forums, including meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Moscow Format.
The United States transferred around $3.5 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank reserves to the Swiss-based Afghan Fund. Taliban efforts to gain access to those assets have so far been unsuccessful.
The fund was established to support Afghanistan’s economic stability while preventing the Taliban from accessing the money. It is overseen by a board comprising representatives from the United States, Switzerland, and two former Afghan officials, Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady and Shah Mohammad Mehrabi.
The fate of another $3.5 billion in Afghan reserves remains uncertain because of compensation claims filed in the United States by families of victims of the September 11 attacks. The plaintiffs argue that the Taliban bears responsibility because of its links to al-Qaeda, which carried out the attacks on New York’s World Trade Center.