Conducted Airstrikes Inside Pakistan, Says Taliban

Local sources said on Tuesday that the commander, identified as Juma, had previously served in the Taliban’s armed forces but was removed from his post several months ago.

According to the sources, he was arrested on Saturday. No further details have been released about his condition or whereabouts.

In recent months, tensions between some local Taliban commanders and the group’s leadership have increased over appointments, control of mining sites and security restrictions.

His arrest also comes as the Taliban leadership seeks to contain growing discontent in Badakhshan and examine internal disputes through a special commission.

Earlier reports indicated that several local Taliban commanders and officials in Badakhshan had been dismissed, arrested or sidelined amid disputes over appointments, mining resources and the group’s leadership policies.

According to a statement from the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, Muttaqi described relations between the Taliban and Qatar as positive and growing.

The Taliban said Muttaqi stressed the importance of continuing cooperation and expanding diplomatic relations between the two sides. He described Qatar’s mediation as important for the Taliban’s engagement with international actors.

The Foreign Ministry stated the Qatari ambassador as saying that Doha remains committed to supporting dialogue and expanding constructive engagement between the Taliban and the international community.

In recent years, Doha has become one of the main venues for political talks related to Afghanistan.

Qatar maintains close ties with the Taliban and, in addition to hosting the group’s political office, has facilitated negotiations between the Taliban, the United States and other international actors.

Doha has also hosted talks between the Taliban and Pakistan.

The organisation said targeting residential areas and civilians is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the four Geneva Conventions and could constitute a war crime.

Rawadari expressed concern over the continued attacks on civilian areas in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to them.

According to the organisation's findings, at least 28 civilians were killed and 176 others injured in Sunday night's airstrikes on the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.

The organisation also confirmed reports of civilian casualties, including women and children among the victims.

In its statement, Rawadari said Pakistani fighter jets had targeted residential areas during the attacks.

It confirmed that in Paktia province the strikes were carried out in two waves. Residential homes were hit in the first wave, while people who had gathered to rescue the injured and assist victims were targeted in the second.

Rawadari also stressed that parties to armed conflicts are obliged to distinguish between military and civilian targets and to take all necessary precautions to prevent civilian casualties.

The human rights organisation called on the international community to take immediate steps to document the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

Speaking during an Ashura commemoration at the office of the Taliban-established High Commission for Shia Affairs, Noori said the Taliban administration had achieved national unity in Afghanistan by bringing together all social and religious groups under the banner of an “Islamic government”.

He also claimed that all ethnic communities support the Taliban administration.

Noori said the Taliban had established a level of security in Afghanistan that was unmatched anywhere in the world.

The Taliban minister also criticised the group’s opponents abroad, saying they continued to claim they would “liberate” Afghanistan. He argued that since no foreign forces remained in the country, it was unclear from whom they intended to liberate it.

“People do not support those who seek to create war and destroy unity,” he said.

Several members of the Council of Ulema and local community representatives attended the gathering at the office of the High Commission for Shia Affairs.

The High Commission for Shia Affairs was established by the Taliban’s intelligence agency and operates under its supervision.

As in previous years, the Taliban imposed strict restrictions on Muharram ceremonies this year. The Taliban’s justice minister detained several Shia community leaders and elders in his private prison over the display of Muharram flags.

No senior Taliban officials attended Shia religious ceremonies this year.

In recent days, officials from the High Commission for Shia Affairs and the deputy head of Afghanistan’s Shia Ulema Council also met with Noori to discuss issues, including disputes between Kochi nomads and settled communities.

Russia, the only country to have recognised the Taliban administration, has not yet responded to the strikes. Other regional countries with close ties to the Taliban have also remained silent.

Pakistan announced on Sunday evening that, following recent militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, its security forces had carried out a ground operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and launched attacks on some border points inside Afghanistan.

At least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in the attacks. The Taliban Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul, while Pakistan said it had summoned the Taliban’s chargé d’affaires in Islamabad in protest over the Karachi attack.

Several former Afghan officials and humanitarian organisations condemned the attacks and expressed concern over their impact on civilians and regional stability.

The spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said on Monday that António Guterres had urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

Norway and Britain, in response to the attacks, called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and take urgent steps to reduce tensions and prevent the conflict from spreading.

Countries close to the Taliban, including Uzbekistan, Iran, Qatar, China and Russia, have so far issued no clear official response to the attacks despite maintaining extensive engagement with the group in recent years.

Analysts say much of the international silence over Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan is linked to the lack of formal recognition of the Taliban, questions over the group’s domestic and international legitimacy, and many countries’ strategic and economic ties with Pakistan.