Afghan Activists & Researchers Hold Second National Dialogue In Germany

Local elders reportedly rejected his appeal for young Ismailis to join the Taliban’s military.

Local sources said Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Taliban defence minister, travelled to the border district of Ishkashim, an area with an Ismaili-majority population that borders Tajikistan and Pakistan. The district's Ismaili community is estimated at around 200,000 people.

According to the sources, the main purpose of the visit was to encourage young Ismailis to join the Taliban’s armed forces, but the proposal was rejected by local elders and residents.

The sources said Mujahid also urged Ismaili communities in Kuran wa Munjan, Yamgan, Jurm, Zebak and Ishkashim to enlist in the Taliban army. Taliban intelligence officials had previously made similar appeals during a series of meetings with Ismaili leaders.

The reports come after international organisations and human rights groups previously accused the Taliban of exerting religious pressure on Afghanistan’s Ismaili community. Over the past five years, the Taliban has reportedly sought to encourage Ismailis to adopt the Hanafi school of Islam.

On Tuesday morning, the Taliban defence minister also visited the 219th Military Division in Baharak district. Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has been in Badakhshan for the past five days.

Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban army chief of staff, and Amanuddin, the Taliban governor of Helmand, both originally from Badakhshan, have also made repeated visits to the province.

Their visits have largely focused on internal disputes over mining, clashes with farmers over the destruction of poppy fields, and increased activity by anti-Taliban groups in Badakhshan.

Local Commander Disarmed As Internal Rifts Deepen

As the defence minister remained in Badakhshan, reports emerged of growing internal divisions within the Taliban in Faizabad, the provincial capital.

Local sources said a Taliban special unit disarmed the vehicles and bodyguards of Mullah Shamsullah Jurmi, a local Taliban commander, on Monday afternoon. After his weapons and equipment were confiscated, he reportedly left the area.

Jurmi had previously expressed support for Juma Khan Fateh, the dissident Taliban commander wanted by the group's leadership. He had also made controversial remarks, claiming: “If Taliban rule continues for another five years, southern Taliban will take away all the girls from this region.”

Taliban officials are known to have multiple wives. Recently, a Taliban media activist known as Mubeen reportedly married for a third time.

Taliban Concerns Extend Beyond Fateh

Although the repeated visits by senior Taliban officials to Badakhshan were initially seen as an effort to contain Juma Khan Fateh, informed sources said the group’s security concerns extend beyond him.

According to the sources, the Taliban is increasingly concerned about the growing influence of opposition groups, including the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front, entering Ishkashim district through Pakistan.

Badakhshan is linked to Pakistan through the Chitral region and Afghanistan’s eastern provinces. Its mountainous terrain and difficult routes have long made it a strategically sensitive area for armed groups.

Some political observers believe that if the military balance in Afghanistan changes, Badakhshan could become one of the main centres of future developments.

According to the latest reports, the dispute between the Taliban leadership and Juma Khan Fateh remains unresolved. Taliban reinforcements are still stationed in Nusay district, although sources say Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has ordered them to withdraw.

In response, Fateh has instructed his fighters to open fire if forces sent from Kabul enter the area without prior coordination.

Sources said his men have abandoned their main headquarters in Al-Fath township and lower checkpoints, retreating instead to the rugged mountain areas of Delwan, Khun and the highlands of Fughaz. According to the reports, Fateh is now based in his home village of Ghami with hundreds of armed supporters.

Taliban Shifts Focus To Badakhshan Mines

Taliban activity around Badakhshan’s mining sector has also intensified. Sources said the Taliban’s provincial mining chief arrived in Nusay district with three vehicles carrying armed personnel to begin inspections of local mines. Local workers have reportedly been ordered to suspend mining operations until the inspections are completed.

According to local sources, the Taliban has significantly reinforced its military presence in Badakhshan in recent days, deploying hundreds of additional fighters from Kabul and other north-eastern provinces. The Defence Ministry is reportedly planning to establish a new border brigade in Kuran wa Munjan.

Analysts believe that given the new deployment of opposition forces and the continued resistance of local commanders, the likelihood of increased military clashes in Badakhshan in the coming months remains high.

Attaullah Omari, the Taliban’s minister of agriculture, irrigation and livestock, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday at the head of an official delegation. He was welcomed by Anand Prakash, India’s additional secretary for foreign affairs and the official responsible for Afghanistan policy.

Omari is the fourth Taliban minister to visit India. He follows the Taliban’s foreign, public health, and commerce and industry ministers, who have held official talks with Indian counterparts on expanding bilateral cooperation.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, confirmed Omari’s visit and said New Delhi looks forward to constructive discussions with Kabul on issues of mutual interest.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture said the visit is aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in agriculture, irrigation and livestock.

Fourth Taliban minister to visit India

Omari’s visit marks the fourth trip by a Taliban minister to India in recent months. The increasing number of high-level exchanges, together with expanding economic and commercial cooperation, reflects a gradual strengthening of India’s engagement with Taliban-run Afghanistan. Alongside humanitarian assistance, New Delhi has broadened cooperation in trade, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure projects.

The growing relationship comes as ties between Kabul and Islamabad have fallen to their lowest level in years. Pakistan’s airstrikes inside Afghanistan and continued border clashes have been followed by Taliban military responses, including claimed drone strikes on areas in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and even the outskirts of Islamabad, further deepening tensions and mistrust between the two sides.

At least one Taliban fighter wounded in the recent border fighting with Pakistan has been transferred to New Delhi for medical treatment. An Afghanistan International correspondent in the Indian capital recently met the injured fighter, who was unable to walk without assistance, along with two companions.

Pakistan has long viewed close ties between Kabul and New Delhi with suspicion and considers limiting Indian influence in Afghanistan a core national security priority. Despite these sensitivities, the Taliban has continued expanding not only its political engagement with India but also economic cooperation.

Meanwhile, trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has declined sharply, and several key border crossings between the two countries remain closed.

Pakistan has carried out at least 13 air and mortar strikes inside Afghanistan over the past five years. Despite the repeated attacks, India remains the only country to have publicly condemned them.

The Taliban has increasingly replaced Pakistani goods and medicines in Afghan markets with products imported from India and Iran. It has also shifted Afghanistan’s trade routes away from dependence on Pakistan’s Karachi port towards Iran’s Chabahar port, Central Asia and India.

At the same time, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of working with India to support Baloch militants and members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has also accused India of financing and arming anti-Pakistan groups operating from Afghanistan. Both the Taliban and India reject the allegations.

Last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the Taliban regime was assisting India’s activities against Pakistan and vowed that Islamabad would continue military operations against Afghan-based threats.

India has not formally recognised the Taliban administration, but it continues to pursue practical cooperation with the group in the economic, humanitarian and security fields.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan said its latest socio-economic assessment found that a fragile economy, four decades of conflict, the return of 2.7 million migrants, worsening climate change and reduced participation by women have placed increasing pressure on livelihoods and public services.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih and UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo arrived in Kabul on Sunday for a three-day visit.

Alexander De Croo stressed that in Afghanistan, crises rarely occur in isolation.

He said the visit was intended to reaffirm the UN’s shared commitment to strengthening resilience and finding sustainable solutions.

After visiting earthquake-affected areas in eastern Afghanistan, De Croo said poverty remained an overwhelming reality for most Afghans.

He said a single earthquake over the past year had destroyed many homes and sources of income. He added that 74 percent of the population, around 29 million people, are unable to meet their basic needs, and stressed that UNDP would continue supporting vulnerable people and those displaced by conflict and disasters.

According to the 2026 Global Report on Internal Displacement, around 7 million people in Afghanistan were internally displaced last year because of prolonged conflict and natural disasters. The figure represents about half of all internally displaced people in South Asia during 2025.

Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said Afghanistan could not achieve development without women and girls. Referring to the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for UN agencies, he said without question, this has placed major constraints on UN ability to deliver services to the people of Afghanistan.

Earlier, Pakistani officials confirmed that at least nine police officers, including two commanders, were killed in the attack, which took place on Monday night. The fighting reportedly lasted for several hours.

Balochistan police also said that seven officers remain missing following the attack.

Some local sources said the number of abducted personnel may be higher than the official figure.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, TTP claimed its fighters seized 25 weapons and other military equipment from a joint police and security committee post, set fire to two security vehicles and took away three others.

Authorities in Balochistan have not commented on the group's claims.

Abdul Qudoos Achakzai, the police commander in Ziarat, told local media that the bodies of the officers killed in the attack had been transferred to Ziarat Central Hospital.

Following the incident, local residents blocked the road leading to the Ziarat crossing, demanding the safe return of the missing security personnel.

Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said a joint clearance operation against the attackers had been completed.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a militant group opposed to the Pakistani government. Formed in 2007, it mainly operates in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, TTP has stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces and has repeatedly claimed responsibility for assaults on police posts, military convoys and security installations.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and supporting TTP fighters. The Taliban has consistently denied the allegation, saying it has no links to the group.

The Taliban has significantly expanded its ties with New Delhi as its relationship with Pakistan has deteriorated.

After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, relations between India and Afghanistan cooled. Flights between the two countries were suspended, and Afghan travel to India, a key destination for medical treatment, was restricted because India stopped issuing visas. However, New Delhi has recently announced that it will upgrade its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan to ambassadorial level.

Although India has not recognised the Taliban administration, it has resumed its technical presence in Kabul and, alongside humanitarian assistance, has expanded cooperation with the Taliban in trade, healthcare and agriculture.

The Taliban agriculture minister’s visit comes as the group has severed its trade ties with Pakistan, India’s regional rival, over the past eight months and is seeking to expand economic and commercial relations with other countries in the region.

In recent months, the Taliban’s foreign, public health, and commerce and industry ministers have also travelled to India.