Afghanistan Needs Development, Not Just Humanitarian Aid, Says Taliban FM

Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, the Taliban’s deputy minister for publications at the Ministry of Information and Culture, made the remarks in an interview with the Indian news outlet India Today. Responding to Donald Trump’s comments about regaining control of Bagram Air Base, he said: "Trump will get Bagram Air Base only in his dreams,"

Bagram Air Base, built by the Soviet Union north of Kabul, became the main base for US-led forces in Afghanistan after the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The base fell to the Taliban in August 2021 after the withdrawal of the last US troops. Since then, Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should have retained control of Bagram because of its strategic location near China.

Taliban-Pakistan tensions

Farahi also addressed tensions with Pakistan, saying the Taliban would defend Afghanistan’s sovereignty against any external action.

"The Pakistan military regime has been given a strong reply. We will protect our sovereignty at all costs," he said.

His remarks come as security tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan continue over border-related issues.

Expanding ties with India

Farahi said the Taliban’s foreign policy would be guided solely by Afghanistan’s national interests rather than the preferences of any other country.

Speaking to India Today he said: “We have historic ties and deep connections with India. No one can dictate who should be our friend and who should not. We want greater people-to-people engagement and stronger trade with India, which is our neighbour,”

Farahi added that the Taliban administration was expanding alternative trade routes to reduce its dependence on Pakistan.

He Said: “Our border crossings with Pakistan have remained shut repeatedly, so we have developed new trade corridors through Central Asia, Iran, India and China. We are strengthening these routes and will no longer remain dependent on Pakistan.”

According to a statement issued after the event, the conference was held under the theme Social Justice: The Foundation of Sustainable Peace and National Unity and was attended by academics, cultural and social figures, civil society activists, representatives of organisations and members of the Afghan community in Germany.

The statement said Ahmad Mukhtar Naderi presented a paper entitled Social Justice: The Foundation of Sustainable Peace and National Unity, arguing that lasting peace in Afghanistan cannot be achieved without social justice, the rule of law, genuine public participation, security and national trust.

According to the statement, participants discussed ways to achieve sustainable peace, the role of social justice in promoting peace, fundamental rights including the rights to education, work and social participation for women, the importance of national unity, the role of the Afghan diaspora and ways to strengthen social cohesion and public participation.

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.