Taliban Deepens Ties With India Despite Pakistan's Warnings

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.

Pakistani security sources told Afghanistan International on Monday evening that the clashes were still under way and the situation remained tense. As of the time of publication, no casualties had been reported from Monday’s fighting.

On Sunday, Pakistani security sources told Afghanistan International that three Pakistani border troops were wounded after Taliban border forces opened fire on Pakistani border posts in Khyber district. One of the injured was reported to be in critical condition.

The continued clashes come after Pakistan’s military commanders reiterated at a meeting in Rawalpindi that the country's forces would continue targeted operations against what they described as security threats.

Pakistan’s military commanders have also maintained that preventing militants from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan is the responsibility of the Taliban administration.

According to the sources, at least two helicopters equipped with heavy military equipment have been monitoring Fateh’s bases and fighters from the air since Sunday.

One source said the helicopters briefly landed in the centre of Nusay district on Monday afternoon, where three Taliban officials disembarked. Their identities are not yet known.

Images obtained by Afghanistan International also show Taliban military helicopters flying over Nusay district.

On Sunday, some newly deployed Taliban forces were stationed in the centre of Nusay district. Sources in Badakhshan said the reinforcements had been sent to disarm fighters loyal to Juma Khan Fateh.

In recent days, Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid also travelled to Badakhshan amid the escalating tensions. Sources said the Taliban has simultaneously intensified efforts to disarm local fighters by collecting weapons from those who are not members of the group's formal military units.

According to information obtained by Afghanistan International, Juma Khan Fateh is currently in Nusay district with local forces loyal to him. His dispute with the Taliban leadership centres on mining operations, disarmament and official appointments.

Tensions between the Taliban and Juma Khan Fateh have intensified in recent weeks. Local sources previously said a delegation sent by the Taliban leadership failed to reach an agreement with him. Following the collapse of those talks, the Taliban increased military deployments and began removing and disarming officials and fighters linked to Fateh.

Sources told Afghanistan International on Friday that, after a meeting in Shighnan district, the Taliban delegation decided to dismiss and disarm several of Fateh’s close associates.

According to the sources, Ghulamullah Ahmadi, one of Fateh’s local rivals, has recently been appointed deputy commander of the Badakhshan division. The intelligence chief of Shikai district and Gulbuddin Almas, commander of the Shighnan battalion, have also been removed from their posts.

The sources added that the Taliban delegation warned district governors, intelligence chiefs and Taliban commanders in five Darwaz districts that they would be dismissed if they failed to prevent the movement of armed men operating outside the group's official structure.

Meanwhile, the Taliban-linked Hurriyat media outlet on Saturday published an audio recording attributed to Juma Khan Fateh. In the recording, he denied reports that his forces had been disarmed and said he had done nothing that would justify a crackdown.

Sources had previously said Fateh had placed his fighters on alert but instructed them not to fire the first shot.

His dispute with the Taliban leadership intensified after he returned from Zabul to Badakhshan and increased his military presence in Nusay district. Taliban sources previously said Fateh had secretly travelled from Zabul to Nusay because he feared arrest or assassination.