Taliban Refused Former Afghan President Permission To Attend Khamenei Funeral

Eyewitnesses said at least two young women were detained on Thursday afternoon at a large grocery store in the Bekrabad area of Herat.

Bekrabad is a predominantly Shia area in the south of Herat city.

Another eyewitness reported the arrest of a young woman at Imam Fakhr Razi Square in northern Herat.

According to the source, the woman was not wearing the Taliban-approved dress code, and five Taliban soldiers detained her.

The source said the young woman was inside a three-wheeled vehicle, and the Taliban also arrested the driver for carrying her.

At the same time, another source told Afghanistan International that the Taliban detained nine young women on Thursday in Herat city.

The Taliban have repeatedly detained women in Herat over the past month. The group says women in Herat should not wear manteaus.

Afghans in 30 countries have held rallies against the detention of women in Herat.

At least two protests have also been held in Herat against the Taliban’s actions, both of which were suppressed by the group.

Two people were killed during a protest in the Jebrail area of Herat city.

Guests include Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, and Mohammad Mohaqiq, head of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.

The official funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei and members of his family killed alongside him began early on Friday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, attended by foreign dignitaries.

The Islamic Republic invited both the Taliban and its Afghan opponents to take part in the ceremony.

Ahmad Massoud and Mohammad Mohaqiq were among those in attendance.

Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi travelled to Tehran on Thursday to attend the funeral.

Sources said Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund had initially been expected to attend the ceremony and hold a meeting with Ahmad Massoud on the sidelines. Earlier, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Alireza Bikdeli, delivered the official invitation to Mullah Abdul Wasi, the Taliban’s chief of administrative affairs.

This is the first time that leaders of anti-Taliban groups and an official Taliban delegation have been invited to the same formal event in Iran as representatives from Afghanistan.

Ali Khamenei was killed about four months ago during large-scale US and Israeli airstrikes. His funeral was postponed because of the continuing wartime situation.

Following his death, Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new leader.

The Taliban maintains close ties with the Islamic Republic and publicly backed Tehran during the recent conflict. On Thursday, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul said relations between the two sides were moving in a constructive direction.

After arriving in Tehran on Thursday, Baradar and Muttaqi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, although no details of the talks have been released.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said politicians from around 100 countries were expected to travel to Tehran to attend the funeral.

Tasnim News Agency, a media outlet affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on Thursday that Araghchi held talks with Muttaqi in Tehran. Neither Iranian nor Taliban officials have released details of the discussions.

Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, was killed on 28 February during the first day of US and Israeli strikes. His funeral is due to be held in the coming days.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said many foreign political leaders are expected to arrive in Tehran on Friday for the funeral ceremony. He added that guests from around 100 countries are expected to attend.

According to the sources, the former security official was targeted in an assassination attempt in Faizabad on Monday and was seriously wounded.

He was transferred in critical condition to a hospital in Kunduz for treatment but died on Tuesday night after suffering gunshot wounds.

According to the information received, he was struck by three bullets, two to the head and one to the leg.

Sources said that after the Taliban returned to power, Joya had been running a private business in Faizabad.

Images obtained by Afghanistan International show a large crowd attending the former official’s funeral in Faizabad city.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Taliban authorities have not commented on the incident.

Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power, reports of killings, arbitrary arrests and torture targeting former members of Afghanistan’s previous government and security forces continue.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed in his latest report that killings, arbitrary arrests and torture of former government employees and security personnel were continuing.

The report said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least five killings, 20 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and eight cases of torture and ill-treatment involving former government employees and security personnel between January 26 and March 31.

Images released by Baradar’s office showed Iran’s ambassador to Kabul accompanying the Taliban officials on the trip.

The Islamic Republic had earlier invited Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund to attend the ceremony. Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Alireza Bikdeli, later delivered the official invitation for Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral to Mullah Abdul Wasi, the Taliban’s chief of administrative affairs.

Iranian media have reported that the funeral and burial ceremonies for the former leader of the Islamic Republic will begin next Saturday.

Ali Khamenei was killed about four months ago after being targeted in extensive US and Israeli airstrikes.

Amid the continuing war between the US-Israeli coalition and the Islamic Republic, Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader.

Iranian officials have said Khamenei’s funeral and burial were postponed because of the continuing wartime situation.

The Taliban maintains close ties with the Islamic Republic. On Wednesday, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul said relations between Tehran and the Taliban administration were moving in a constructive direction.

During the recent conflict between the United States, Israel and the Islamic Republic, the Taliban publicly expressed support for Tehran.

In 2024, Baradar and Muttaqi also attended the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Several foreign officials, including Pakistan’s prime minister, are expected to attend the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader.