Taliban Detains Four Women In Herat

Chaudhry told a news conference in Rawalpindi on Friday, 31 July, that evidence had linked Afghan nationals to most of this year’s suicide attacks and bombings.

He said Afghan citizens were also involved in recent attacks in Tank district and Karachi, adding that the attacker in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was an Afghan national.

The military spokesman said Afghan citizens and people with links to Taliban security forces were among those killed or detained during Pakistani security operations. He did not provide specific figures.

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s criticism was not directed at the Afghan people, but that the Taliban was responsible for the incidents.

He claimed that terrorism is the Taliban’s business and that the group used terrorism to preserve its economy and diplomatic relations.

The Pakistani military spokesperson also accused the Taliban of assisting armed groups and said there was no difference between the groups Islamabad labels “Fitna al-Hindustan” and “Khawarij”.

Pakistan uses the term “Khawarij” for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and “Fitna al-Hindustan” for Baloch separatist groups.

Chaudhry attributed the rise in attacks in Pakistan to the activities of Taliban-linked armed groups and to the expansion of Pakistani security operations.

He said Pakistani security forces had carried out 40,348 intelligence-based operations this year and killed 2,084 members of armed groups. According to him, 3,145 security incidents occurred in Pakistan during the same period.

The military spokesperson added that Islamabad had no intention of negotiating with the groups and said their members must submit to the law or face action by Pakistani security forces.

The Taliban and Pakistan have been at odds for months over the activities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, with the tensions leading to major clashes.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of sheltering TTP members and leaders in Afghanistan and allowing them to use Afghan territory to plan and carry out attacks in Pakistan.

In response, Pakistan has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Afghanistan, while the two sides have clashed along the Durand Line.

The Taliban has consistently rejected the allegations and described instability and TTP activity as Pakistan’s internal problem.

According to the sources, Taliban intelligence removed Mujaddidi’s relatives from the house in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood and stationed four-armed men inside.

Zalmai Khan Mujaddidi represented Badakhshan in Afghanistan’s former republic order. Sources said the Taliban seized his home following recent unrest in Badakhshan.

A source in Kabul said the Taliban had not allowed Mujaddidi’s relatives to remove their personal belongings from the property.

According to the source, Taliban officials said: “No one is permitted to remove property belonging to Zalmai Mujaddidi from this house.”

Mujaddidi is from Jurm district and is a prominent figure from Badakhshan province. Sources said he left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and now lives abroad.

Taliban officials have not commented on the seizure of his home.

The Taliban previously seized the Kabul home of Fawzia Koofi, a former MP from Badakhshan, and detained some of her relatives.

She said girls must be able to continue their education and contribute to Afghanistan’s development and progress.

During a visit to Istalif district in Kabul province, the UN official toured a girls’ primary school and said the Taliban continued to prevent girls from pursuing education beyond the primary level.

A video released by UNAMA also showed Gagnon meeting local Taliban officials and community elders to discuss the district’s challenges, economic needs and educational issues.

She also visited a computer laboratory established with UN support at a girls’ primary school and stressed the importance of giving girls access to information technology and digital skills.

After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban suspended education for girls above the sixth grade. In December 2022, it also banned women and girls from attending universities.

Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where girls are barred from secondary and higher education.

According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, more than 2.5 million girls in Afghanistan are deprived of education. The figure could exceed four million by 2030 if the ban remains in place.

The UN Children’s Fund has warned that continuing the restrictions until 2030 could leave Afghanistan short of more than 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female health workers.

UNICEF has also said that depriving girls of education damages the education system, increases the risk of early marriage, reduces the number of qualified women working in education and healthcare, and contributes to higher maternal and infant mortality.

According to the sources, unidentified gunmen opened fire on Fitrat’s home in the village of Istrap from a nearby mountain overlooking the property.

They said the attackers used light and heavy weapons, including PK machine guns.

The sources added that guards at the house returned fire, leading to a brief clash between the two sides. The attackers reportedly fled after the exchange of gunfire.

No casualties or damage have been reported, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

After the Sepah-e Mihan Front briefly seized Yaftal district, the Afghanistan Freedom Front also attacked Taliban positions in Zebak district.

Sporadic clashes between the Taliban and opposition forces have continued over the past week.

Following the attacks, the Taliban’s army chief travelled to Badakhshan and took charge of military operations against opposition groups.

In recent days, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Badakhshan was killed in an attack by armed assailants.

Sources say the situation in the province remains tense and that the Taliban has deployed additional forces to the area.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the front claimed that the attack had caused heavy casualties and damage to the Taliban but said the exact number of dead and wounded was not yet known.

The front also said the Taliban had intensified the deployment of forces and equipment to areas under its influence in recent days.

Taliban officials have not commented on the attack.

Badakhshan province has seen an increase in attacks by Taliban opponents in recent days. Afghanistan Freedom Front forces and the Taliban have clashed for several days in the province’s Zebak district.