180 Religious Scholars Issued Fatwa Supporting War Against Taliban, Says United Front

Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing on Thursday, 27 August, that if Taliban activities were carried out at the direction of a neighbouring country to promote terrorism in Pakistan, Islamabad would be compelled to describe the Taliban administration as a proxy.

Responding to remarks by Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, who had said that the Taliban government itself is a proxy, Andrabi said that when their activities are carried out at the direction of a particular neighbouring country to promote terrorism in Pakistan, unfortunately Pakistan is compelled to call them a proxy, because in doing so they are not acting in their own interests.

He claimed that Islamabad was aware of Indian involvement in terrorist activities against Pakistan originating from Afghan territory and said Pakistan had evidence to support the allegation.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman added that the Taliban administration must prevent Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch Liberation Army from using Afghan territory against Pakistan.

Andrabi stressed that Islamabad remained ready for dialogue with Kabul but said any bilateral mechanism must lead to tangible and verifiable action on counter-terrorism and border management, and that verbal assurances were not enough.

According to him, Pakistan wants written and verifiable guarantees from the Taliban to ensure that Afghan territory is not used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Pakistan was previously one of the main supporters of the Afghan Taliban, and critics of the group had described it in the years before its return to power as a Pakistani proxy in Afghanistan. The Taliban has consistently rejected claims that it was dependent on Islamabad.

Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, relations between Kabul and Islamabad have become increasingly tense, particularly over the activities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban of allowing the TTP to operate from Afghan territory. The Taliban rejects the allegation and, in turn, accuses Pakistan of supporting armed opponents of its rule.

The letter, issued by the ministry’s Fibre Optic Development Directorate, bans the expansion and development of the fibre-optic network, as well as relocation, rerouting, construction of new routes, connections, installation, maintenance, repairs and other related activities “until further notice”.

Telecommunications companies have been instructed to refrain from carrying out any work involving their fibre-optic internet networks.

The Taliban Communications Ministry has also asked the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority, or ATRA, and provincial telecommunications departments to monitor implementation of the order. It said companies that violate the directive would face “appropriate action”.

The letter was sent to several telecommunications companies, including Afghan Wireless, Roshan, Etisalat, Afghan Telecom and other firms operating fibre-optic networks.

The decision comes as the expansion of high-speed internet in Afghanistan has already faced restrictions.

Wider Restrictions on Fibre Expansion

The new letter is part of a series of recent Taliban measures restricting fibre-optic internet.

Earlier, ATRA, the Taliban-controlled telecommunications regulator, halted the connection of new fibre-optic lines to homes in Kabul in June.

Afghanistan International previously reported, citing sources at Afghan Telecom and internet companies, that fibre-optic expansion and cabling work in Kabul had been suspended until further notice.

In an email, Afghan Telecom told companies not to carry out excavation or other related work until new instructions were issued.

The fibre-optic network is a major part of Afghanistan’s telecommunications infrastructure and was developed during the previous government.

A significant portion of Afghanistan’s international internet capacity enters the country through fibre-optic and microwave links from Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Mobile networks also ultimately rely on this infrastructure for international connectivity.

Possible Impact on the Internet Market

Telecommunications experts say the Taliban’s latest decision could negatively affect internet network capacity and speeds, as well as future investment by telecommunications companies.

In 2022, Afghanistan issued its first licences for fibre-to-the-home, or FTTH, internet services, after which fibre-optic connections gradually began reaching residential customers.

However, in September 2025, the Taliban banned the use of fibre-optic internet in Balkh, and the restriction was later extended to several other provinces. In some cases, local Taliban officials said the move was aimed at “preventing vice”.

On 29 September last year, the Taliban shut down fibre-optic and telecommunications networks across Afghanistan. The blackout disrupted banks, customs offices and operations at Kabul’s Sarai Shahzada currency market, while some flights were also cancelled. Services were restored about 48 hours later.

The latest Communications Ministry letter does not order an immediate nationwide internet shutdown, but it suspends fibre-optic expansion, construction, relocation, maintenance and repair work for an indefinite period.

The Taliban Communications Ministry has not yet explained the reasons for issuing the new directive.

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.