Fighters Shot Down Two Taliban Drones In Badakhshan, Says AFF

The move comes amid growing tensions over gold mining in Chah Ab district of Takhar province.

In late 2024, the Taliban detained Ghulam Hussain in Chah Ab district.

At the time, Taliban intelligence seized more than 400 light and heavy weapons, several vehicles and a large quantity of ammunition belonging to him.

Ghulam Hussain also spent some time in Taliban custody and, after his release, had been barred from returning to his birthplace in Chah Ab district.

Sources told Afghanistan International on Friday, 24 July, that Taliban restrictions on the commander had been eased over the past week. According to the sources, he had been permitted to return to Chah Ab.

In recent weeks, Chah Ab district has become one of the main centres of tension in northern Afghanistan. Local sources have reported sporadic clashes between Taliban forces and residents over gold mining.

Reports have also emerged of local protests and a deadly Taliban crackdown.

According to the sources, Ghulam Hussain had spent most of this period in Kabul and occasionally travelled to Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.

They added that he was not permitted to travel elsewhere without the approval of Taliban intelligence.

The Taliban has not officially commented on the matter, and it remains unclear what prompted the group to change its position towards the commander.

Ghulam Hussain was previously a commander under Bashir Qanet, an influential Hezb-e Islami figure in Takhar who was detained under the former government on allegations of harassment, murder and extortion.

Qanet later escaped from prison and joined the Taliban.

Ghulam Hussain was regarded as one of the Taliban’s most influentialTajik commanders in Takhar.

Reports indicate that he profited from the Nooraba gold mine in Chah Ab district and commanded hundreds of armed men.

In a post on X on Saturday, 25 July, Bennett wrote that Afghan refugees in Iran were among the most vulnerable groups and often continued to be overlooked. He also expressed regret over continuing executions in Iran, particularly those involving Afghan migrants.

Earlier, Bennett and a group of independent United Nations human rights experts issued a statement condemning the resumption of military hostilities between Washington and Tehran and the risk of the conflict spreading to other areas.

The UN experts warned that abandoning agreed commitments to end the war would undermine prospects for peace, harm the rights of war victims and destroy the mutual trust needed for a lasting end to the conflict.

They stressed that civilians must not bear the cost of the fighting and that all parties must comply with international human rights and humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction between military and civilian targets, proportionality in attacks and precautionary measures to protect civilians.

Concerns Over Damage to Civilian Infrastructure

The UN experts said military attacks and counter-attacks between the United States and Iran on the nights of 12 and 13 July had marked a new phase in the escalation of the crisis and raised fears that the conflict could spread further across the region.

They expressed concern over reports of damage to civilian infrastructure in Iran, including ports, energy networks, transport routes and public service facilities, warning that such attacks could disrupt access to food, medicine and essential services.

People Caught Between Foreign Attacks and Domestic Repression

The statement said that during war and domestic repression, vulnerable groups, including women, children, people with disabilities, minorities, refugees and those living in poverty, suffer disproportionately and are often left unheard.

The UN human rights experts also expressed concern over continuing executions, mass arrests, torture and reports of enforced disappearances in Iran, saying that people in the country were trapped between the consequences of foreign attacks and domestic repression.

They called on all parties to immediately de-escalate tensions, prioritise the protection of civilians and return to dialogue and negotiations to resolve their disputes.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had earlier urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to press the Taliban to fulfil its counterterrorism commitments and eliminate the safe havens of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Dar said terrorism emanating from Afghanistan was one of the most serious security challenges facing Islamabad.

Responding to Dar’s remarks on Friday, 24 July, Mujahid said the Taliban remained committed to preventing Afghan territory from being used against other countries and would not allow it to be used against any state.

He again denied the presence of any terrorist group in Afghanistan.

Mujahid claimed that insecurity in Pakistan had existed for many years and was unrelated to Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has repeatedly rejected Islamabad’s allegations that armed groups are present and active in Afghanistan, saying it will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country.

International organisations, however, have repeatedly published documented reports indicating that militant groups remain active in Afghanistan.

Speaking at the Balochistan National Workshop in Islamabad on Friday, Sharif said: “We share a 2,000-kilometre border with Afghanistan. We are neighbours and have to live together, but we continue to urge the Afghan interim government not to allow its soil to be used for terrorism against Pakistan.”

His remarks come as Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban in recent months of sheltering members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups. The Taliban have rejected the allegations, saying they will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country.

Referring to a renewed rise in militant attacks in Pakistan, Sharif said more than 90,000 Pakistani civilians, soldiers and security personnel had lost their lives in the fight against terrorism. He also accused India of supporting terrorist groups but provided no evidence for the claim.

Sharif said Pakistan had largely brought terrorism under control by 2017 and 2018, but that the country must now examine how the threat had re-emerged and expanded.

He also expressed sorrow over Thursday’s attack in Mastung, Balochistan, which killed court judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard, saying Pakistan’s security forces and civilians had paid a heavy price to ensure the country’s security.

In another part of his remarks, the prime minister stressed the importance of Balochistan’s development, saying Pakistan could progress only if all of its provinces developed simultaneously.

He announced a 300 billion rupee project for the Karachi-Chaman highway, saying the route, known as the “bloody road” because of its high number of traffic deaths, was expected to be completed within the next two years. Sharif also announced 50 billion rupees in funding to convert about 27,000 agricultural wells in Balochistan to solar power.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, during a meeting with several Balochistan provincial ministers, called for faster implementation of development projects and stronger coordination between government and security institutions to improve the province’s security and economic situation.

In a statement on Friday, 24 July, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that alongside reviewing developments in Afghanistan, SCO foreign ministers stressed stronger cooperation to build an equal and indivisible security architecture in Eurasia and enhance the organisation’s role in shaping a fairer global order.

At the meeting, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern over security developments linked to Afghanistan, saying the threat of terrorism emanating from the country was one of the most serious challenges facing Islamabad.

He urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to press the Taliban to fulfil its counterterrorism commitments and eliminate the safe havens of armed groups.

Dar alleged that groups including the Pakistani Taliban, the Baloch Liberation Army and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement were using Afghan territory for training, recruitment and organising attacks with the Taliban’s tacit approval and facilitation.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described developments in Afghanistan as a major shared concern for countries in the region and called for the formation of an inclusive government representing all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

He also called for greater regional cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to combat terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.

Taliban officials have repeatedly rejected allegations that armed groups are present and active in Afghanistan, saying they will not allow the country’s territory to be used against any state.