Taliban Suspends Fiber-Optic Network Expansion In Afghanistan

In a statement marking the anniversary of the deaths of 13 US service members in the 2021 terrorist attack at Kabul airport, Trump blamed what he called the sheer incompetence of Joe Biden and the Democrats.

He said the way the withdrawal was managed left US troops exposed and gave the Taliban an opportunity to release dangerous prisoners from Bagram.

The US president also referred to his meetings with the families of those killed in the attack, saying the Democratic Party had neglected them. He said that after returning to the White House, his administration had fulfilled a promise by capturing the main planner of the terrorist attack.

Trump described the incident as one of the greatest disasters in US history and said Washington remained committed to ensuring that such failures were not repeated.

The suicide bombing at Kabul airport on 26 August 2021 was one of the deadliest days of the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. At the time, thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals were trying to leave the country through the emergency evacuation operation following the Taliban’s return to Kabul.

Islamic State Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack. In addition to the deaths of 13 US service members, more than 160 Afghans were killed.

Bagram Air Base, which for years had served as the main centre of US military and intelligence operations in Afghanistan, was abruptly evacuated by American forces several weeks before the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

After the Taliban took control of the base, the gates of Bagram prison were opened and thousands of prisoners, including senior members of the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Islamic State, escaped from the detention facility. The incident later became a major focus of Republican criticism of the withdrawal.

Trump’s renewed criticism of the Afghanistan withdrawal comes as the Biden administration’s handling of the end of the 20-year US war has continued to face strong domestic and international criticism.

Critics describe the withdrawal as rushed and lacking adequate security planning, while its defenders argue that maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan would have carried even greater human and financial costs.

Crocker made the remarks on Tuesday during an event at the National Endowment for Democracy.

The former US ambassador stressed that developments in Afghanistan are not merely a domestic issue but are closely linked to regional and global security.

Crocker said the United States had already seen how ignoring Afghanistan in the 1990s damaged its national security and expressed hope that the same mistake would not be repeated.

He added that continued engagement with Afghanistan and support for Afghans working in human rights, education, independent media and civil society remain important.

Return to Darkness

Crocker strongly criticised the Taliban’s record over the past five years, saying the group had sought to take Afghanistan back to a dark age.

The former US diplomat said even more troubling than the restrictions themselves was an effort to re-engineer Afghan society. According to Crocker, the Taliban are seeking to create an order based on the subservience of women and dominance of men, in which an unelected emir rules through arbitrary decrees.

Crocker described the current situation in Afghanistan as dark times, but said the Afghan people remain the greatest source of hope for the country’s future.

Reflecting on his experience in the years immediately after the fall of the first Taliban government, he said Afghanistan today, unlike in 2001, has an educated population, with many people familiar with the values of political participation, civil society and free and independent media.

He said that the Taliban will not be able to break that spirit today either.

He also recalled the period immediately after the fall of the first Taliban government, saying that when he travelled to Kabul to reopen the US Embassy, Afghanistan had been devastated on a vast scale.

The event was attended by several former US diplomats, civil society activists, journalists and Afghan political figures based in the United States.

Participants discussed the situation of women and girls under Taliban rule, human rights restrictions, the state of independent media and Afghanistan’s political future.

Many prisoners at Bagram are former members of the security forces who, according to their families, are being held in difficult conditions and under severe restrictions.

Families told Afghanistan International that in addition to long waits and travelling from distant provinces, there is no suitable place at Bagram prison for visitors to wait or speak with their relatives.

Mohammad Akram, a relative of a prisoner at Bagram, said visits are not easy to arrange.

“Families of prisoners at Bagram cannot easily visit their loved ones; sometimes we must wait for months. There is no authority other than the military court from which we can obtain permission for a visit,” he said.

According to him, once the Taliban military court issues permission, relatives travel to Bagram, but they still have to wait for hours before the visit and face severe restrictions and harsh treatment by Taliban personnel.

Haji Sardar Mohammad, who travelled from Kandahar to Kabul to visit his imprisoned son, said he had spent about a month in the capital trying to obtain permission.

“I am an elderly and sick man. I came from Kandahar to Kabul and have been away from home for more than a month, going from one office to another. I have also run out of money. I wait from morning until evening to get permission, but no clear answer is given,” he said.

The families say the situation is particularly difficult for elderly people, women, children and those who are ill, especially during hot and cold seasons.

Some relatives of prisoners also complained about harsh treatment by Taliban personnel when they are taken into the prison.

They said black bags are placed over their heads and they are moved from a designated area to the meeting room while unable to see anything.

Baryalai, a relative of one prisoner, said a black bag was placed over his head when he went to visit his younger brother before he was taken to the meeting area.

“When they covered my head with a bag, I was deeply affected. I felt as if I were a serious criminal. We do not know why we are treated this way,” he said.

Families also say that visits take place under close Taliban supervision and that because of the security presence, they cannot speak freely about prisoners’ health, their cases, family problems or other personal matters.

Relatives say they do not object to necessary security measures, but are calling for a clear and orderly visitation system, a shorter approval process and suitable facilities for people who must wait for long periods.

They also want clear information about visiting times, permits, required documents and other conditions so that families are not forced to spend months moving from one office to another.

Although no new figures have been released on the number of people held in Taliban prisons, United Nations information showed that more than 5,000 prisoners were being held at Pul-e Charkhi prison as of October 2024.

In early 2023, a Taliban official also said that more than 29,000 people had been detained on various charges over a period of about 18 months.

Speaking on Tuesday at the inauguration of a small dam in Paktia, Mansoor said Afghans had never accepted domination by any country and would not do so in the future.

Referring to the wars fought by the mujahideen and the Taliban against the Soviet Union and the United States, he told Pakistan: “A nation that did not accept slavery to Russia or America will never accept slavery to Pakistan either.”

Mansoor said Afghanistan wanted engagement with Pakistan based on Islamic principles, but warned that if aggression against Afghanistan continued, Pakistan would face a “crushing response” similar to that given to Russia and the United States.

He said: “We are grateful for your support during the jihad. But do not expect us to become slaves. We did not accept servitude to Russia, which had security, development and everything. We did not accept servitude to America. Who are you that we should submit to you?”

The Taliban minister added: “The lesson we gave the Russians and the Americans; we will give to you as well.”

Mansoor also said that neighbouring countries that looked at Afghans with hostility would likewise be “neutralised and defeated”.

Referring to Pakistan, he said the country did not want security and development in Afghanistan.

He added that some neighbouring countries remained silent about developments in Afghanistan, some maintained close relations with the country, while others were “very jealous”.

According to Mansoor, “the third group is the enemy of Afghanistan” and does not want nationwide security, development or industrial growth in the country.

Mansoor said security in Afghanistan would continue as long as the Taliban remained committed to “religion, jihad and Sharia”.

Referring to the rebellion by dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh in Badakhshan, he said: “Many people will come along this path and launch rebellions. Someone will even rise up in the name of the Taliban and claim that he has made great sacrifices but is not receiving enough attention.”

He added that, with God’s help, “all of these rebellions will be brought under control”.

Tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan have increased in recent months. Pakistani officials accuse the Taliban of allowing anti-Pakistan groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, to operate from Afghan territory and of supporting them.

Islamabad also holds the Taliban partly responsible for border insecurity and has demanded that Kabul act against armed groups operating from Afghanistan against Pakistan.

The Taliban rejects these allegations and has repeatedly said it does not allow Afghan territory to be used against any other country.

Mansoor’s remarks come as disputes between Kabul and Islamabad over alleged Taliban support for Pakistani militant groups, cross-border attacks and military clashes between the two sides continue.

The Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation published the report on Tuesday, 25 August.

According to the report, the Taliban punished 422 women, 1,761 men and 562 people whose gender was not specified.

The 92-page report, titled “Whips of Power, Spectacle of Control: Documenting the Taliban’s Public Floggings, 2022-2026”, examines corporal punishment carried out by the Taliban.

The report said Kabul province accounted for the highest share of people flogged, at 88 per cent, while Nuristan recorded the lowest share, at one per cent.

The highest number of public flogging incidents was recorded in 2025, with 262 cases, while the lowest was in 2023, with 30 cases.

Most of those punished were flogged over allegations involving sexual offences and moral crimes, including relationships, sexual conduct and restrictions related to women’s movement.

The Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation said public corporal punishment is often carried out in front of crowds and is used by the Taliban as a tool of punishment, intimidation and social control.

The report also documents cases of arbitrary detention, forced confessions and denial of access to defence lawyers, evidence and witnesses.

The organisation described public flogging as a violation of several fundamental rights, including the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, the right to privacy, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly and association, and the right to a fair trial.

It also said the report’s findings could, under international law, be relevant to possible crimes against humanity and war crimes, including torture, persecution, imprisonment, cruel and inhuman treatment, denial of fair-trial rights and outrages upon personal dignity.

The report includes 23 personal testimonies from victims and calls on governments, international organisations and human rights bodies to strengthen independent monitoring, investigate abuses and take steps to hold perpetrators accountable.

The organisation said Taliban policies towards women and girls amount to “gender apartheid” and should be recognised as a crime against humanity.

It urged the United Nations to take the report’s findings into account when examining the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The organisation also called on the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to review evidence concerning alleged Taliban crimes as part of the court’s investigation into Afghanistan.

Despite the continuation of flogging in Afghanistan, the Taliban has stopped officially publicising such punishments since the beginning of this summer.

The Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation called on the Taliban to revoke orders permitting flogging and end restrictions on the rights and freedoms of women, girls and other Afghan citizens.

The Taliban Supreme Court continued publishing reports on the flogging of citizens until May 2026.

Afghanistan International’s review shows that since 22 April 2026, the Taliban Supreme Court has significantly restricted public access to information about corporal punishment.

The last statement published by the court on a flogging sentence was dated 22 April. In that announcement, the Taliban Supreme Court said two defendants in Badakhshan had each been sentenced to one year in prison and 39 lashes over an alleged extramarital relationship.

The restriction followed an Afghanistan International investigative report published on 25 April 2026.

That investigation, based on thousands of official Taliban court statements, information from UN experts and reports by human rights organisations, found that more than 107,550 lashes had been inflicted on Afghan citizens from the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021 through the end of March 2026.

UN experts, including Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, have previously called for an end to corporal punishment.

They described such punishments as an “assault on human dignity” and warned that they could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The experts have said the widespread use of corporal punishment for such alleged offences forms part of a broader system of structural gender discrimination and social control that is incompatible with Afghanistan’s international obligations.