Taliban Commander Killed in Nangarhar

Local sources said mediation efforts by the group’s leadership have failed, and Taliban army and intelligence units have been deployed to the province.

Juma Khan Fateh, a local Taliban commander leading the dissent in Badakhshan, has established round-the-clock checkpoints in areas under his control; despite previously saying he would not initiate an armed confrontation.

Meanwhile, the Taliban leadership has deployed hundreds of its special forces from Panjshir and other provinces to Badakhshan and is reportedly preparing a large-scale, multi-front operation. According to the latest information, the reinforcements have entered Shighnan district and began moving towards the Darwaz region, where Juma Khan is based, on Friday morning.

Sources said the Taliban has also established several security checkpoints on routes leading to Darwaz and has intensified efforts to disarm local fighters. According to the sources, the group is collecting weapons from Taliban members in Badakhshan who are not part of its formal military units.

The latest information indicates that Juma Khan Fateh is currently in Nusay district alongside his local forces.

Reports from Shighnan suggest that, because of the large number of reinforcements and a shortage of accommodation at military facilities, Taliban forces spent the night inside the district’s central hospital, occupying treatment areas intended for patients. With both sides reinforcing positions along the Shighnan-Darwaz axis, the security situation in the area has become increasingly tense.

During the meeting, Muttaqi described the trade potential between Afghanistan and Bangladesh as significant and called for greater use of these opportunities to promote what he described as the two countries’ economic growth.

The Speaker of Bangladesh’s parliament described relations between the two countries as longstanding and expressed hope that Afghanistan’s economic reconstruction would help strengthen bilateral trade.

The meeting comes nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Owing to widespread human rights violations, particularly restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights to work and education, the Taliban administration has not been formally recognised by any Islamic country, including Bangladesh. Taliban officials have sought to reduce the group's international isolation by expanding economic ties with regional countries.

An explosion shook the Kabul University dormitory on Friday night, injuring several students.

A video received by Afghanistan International shortly after the blast shows several ambulances outside the dormitory.

In an audio message, one student said strict security measures were imposed at the dormitory following the explosion.

The Taliban has not yet provided details about the cause or nature of the explosion.

Sources told Afghanistan International on Saturday that the TTP commander was shot by unidentified gunmen at around midnight on Thursday as he was leaving a local TTP camp in the Waghaz district. The attackers fled the scene after the shooting.

The sources also provided Afghanistan International with photographs of the commander's body.

The killing comes a week after another TTP member was shot dead by unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle in Kandahar province.

The Taliban has not commented on either incident.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a militant group formed in 2007 through an alliance of several armed factions in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The Pakistani government designates it as a terrorist organisation, and the group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on security forces and civilians over the years.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to TTP members. The Taliban has consistently denied the allegation, insisting that no terrorist groups operate in Afghanistan and describing TTP as Pakistan’s internal problem.

Rejecting speculation over behind-the-scenes talks

As rival Afghan political figures travelled to Tehran, some sources suggested informal talks between the two sides might take place.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi are in Tehran alongside Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, and Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan, to attend ceremonies honouring Ali Khamenei. Yasa said there were no plans for any meetings or talks between the two sides.

Speaking to Afghanistan International on Friday, Yasa said the main disagreement between the opposition and the Taliban concerned the political system. He said opposition groups were not opposed to negotiations in principle but insisted that any talks must take place within a defined framework and under agreed principles. He added that they would be prepared to negotiate with the Taliban under international mediation and stronger guarantees.

Tehran’s mediation efforts

Iran has previously sought to act as a mediator between Afghanistan’s rival political factions. In one such effort, Tehran hosted direct talks between Ahmad Massoud and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Those discussions ended without a tangible outcome because of fundamental differences between the two sides.

The Taliban’s opponents continue to call for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, while the Taliban insists its administration is already inclusive.

Observers believe the Taliban’s insistence that opponents should end the conflict and return to live under its “Islamic system”, together with the opposition’s demand for an inclusive government based on the will of the people, has left little prospect of meaningful negotiations under the current circumstances.