Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says NATO first used the Afghanistan war as a reason to keep the alliance alive, and that the end of its presence there was a disaster, with its forces ultimately fleeing the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday 3 September, Lavrov said NATO is now searching for new pretexts to prolong its existence.
He said NATO should have been dissolved after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as the Warsaw Pact was.
The Eastern Economic Forum is being held in Vladivostok from 1 September.
On NATO's presence in Afghanistan, he said that at first NATO treated the events in Afghanistan as a reason to preserve its military bloc. But when that ended in disaster for them and they fled Afghanistan, they fabricated a Russian threat to replace the Soviet one.
Lavrov warned that Moscow will not beg for sanctions to be lifted or for a return to past relations. He accused Europe of isolating Russia and said Western pressure has changed relations between the two sides forever.
Relations between Russia and Europe have deteriorated sharply in recent years. The war in Ukraine, sweeping sanctions on Moscow and tit-for-tat diplomatic measures have widened the gap between the two sides.
NATO had a military presence in Afghanistan from 2001 and later took command of the International Security Assistance Force. After nearly two decades, the alliance withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
The Canadian government has issued a strong warning urging its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan, saying the security situation remains highly volatile and dangerous.
In its latest travel advisory, Canada said people already in Afghanistan should exercise caution if they need to move to a safer location and should review their personal security plans.
The Canadian government also warned that foreign nationals and people with links to Western countries face risks of kidnapping and violence by terrorist groups, as well as a heightened risk of arbitrary detention by Taliban authorities.
It said the risk is particularly high for people who had links to the former Afghan government or who are seen as having violated Taliban rules.
According to the advisory, Taliban authorities may accuse foreign nationals, including dual Afghan and foreign citizens, of espionage.
Humanitarian workers and journalists are among those whose activities and movements may be monitored, the advisory said.
Canada warned that people who come under suspicion from Taliban authorities may have their passports confiscated and could be arbitrarily detained for extended periods.
The advisory also said Canadian citizens have previously been detained in Afghanistan and, in some cases, denied access to Canadian consular officials, family members or lawyers.
In another section, the Canadian government said the terrorist threat remains present across Afghanistan, including Kabul and other major cities, and that attacks could occur at any time.
The advisory said terrorist groups remain active in Afghanistan and may target foreigners, security and defence personnel, NGO workers, journalists and media staff, health workers and other civilians.
Canada also warned that criminal groups carrying out kidnappings for ransom may sell hostages to terrorist organisations, potentially leaving victims in captivity for years.
According to the advisory, terrorist and criminal groups may establish fake checkpoints and roadblocks to carry out robberies, kidnappings or other violent attacks.
The Canadian government also warned against travel to tourist and remote areas of Afghanistan, saying that even organised tours run by reputable companies do not eliminate the risks.
Warning About the Situation of Women
Canada’s travel advisory includes a separate section on women, saying they face particular risks of harassment and abuse, including at the hands of the Taliban.
The Canadian government stressed that its embassy in Afghanistan remains suspended and that Ottawa’s ability to provide consular services and other assistance to Canadian citizens in the country is extremely limited.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it recorded at least 30 incidents of Taliban interference with humanitarian activities in the past month, including the detention of two aid workers in Herat.
In a report issued on Thursday, 3 September, OCHA said it recorded 16 incidents involving restrictions on humanitarian access in July, 12 cases of violence against staff or interference with aid organisations’ assets and facilities, and two restrictions on aid workers’ movement.
OCHA said most of the incidents occurred in southern and western Afghanistan.
Of the 16 cases involving interference in humanitarian activities, four concerned delays or difficulties in signing memorandums of understanding, while three involved interferences in the selection of aid recipients. The report added that the Taliban interfered with the implementation of humanitarian programmes on three occasions.
According to the report, the Taliban asked humanitarian organisations for staff lists and other sensitive information in two cases. OCHA also recorded interference in staff recruitment, requirements for female employees to be accompanied by a mahram, restrictions on the participation of female aid workers and obstruction of access for people seeking assistance.
The United Nations said Taliban restrictions involving memorandums of understanding had negatively affected humanitarian activities in Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan and Kandahar.
OCHA said discussions with Taliban officials were continuing in several cases in an effort to resolve the problems.
The UN office also reported 11 gender-based restrictions imposed by the Taliban in July. According to OCHA, these measures affected both humanitarian operations and vulnerable communities.
The United Nations said last month that Taliban interference and restrictions on humanitarian activities in June had risen by 50 per cent compared with the previous month. It said at least 21 humanitarian activities were suspended as a result, disrupting aid delivery in affected areas.
The report said the Taliban had initially authorised women in Uruzgan to take part in data collection but withdrew the permission before the process began. OCHA said Uruzgan was the only province covered by the initiative, and permission for women’s participation was revoked at the last moment.
According to the report, 18 incidents resulted in the temporary suspension of humanitarian programmes, while two led to the temporary closure of aid offices.
OCHA said 11 of the incidents had been resolved by the end of July, while 19 remained unresolved.
Regionally, southern Afghanistan recorded the highest number of incidents, with nine, followed by the west with eight, the east with four and the north with three. The central and north-eastern regions each recorded two incidents.
OCHA said the figures showed continuing challenges to humanitarian access, including Taliban interference, restrictions on women’s participation, programme approvals, staff movement and the safety of aid workers.
The Taliban’s Security and Clearance Affairs Commission says it held a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid to assess Afghanistan’s security situation, which the group described as reassuring.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 2 September, the commission said reports from provincial security and clearance commissions across Afghanistan were also reviewed, and the overall security situation was considered satisfactory and reassuring.
The meeting also stressed coordination between the Taliban’s security and civilian institutions to improve operations and the delivery of services.
The Taliban’s Security and Clearance Affairs Commission is responsible for assessing the security situation and reviewing the performance of the group’s forces in different provinces.
Despite Taliban claims that nationwide security has been established, international reports and figures indicate that security threats, particularly the activities of opposition groups and terrorist attacks, remain serious challenges in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference on Wednesday that the group’s Defence Ministry had carried out 602 independent and joint operations with the Interior Ministry and intelligence agency this year. He claimed the operations had disrupted complex enemy plots and dismantled opposition hideouts and networks.
Mujahid did not provide details about the groups involved, where the operations took place or the nature of the security threats. However, armed groups opposing the Taliban have expanded their attacks across Afghanistan in recent months.
The Afghanistan United Front previously said it had carried out at least 43 operations against the Taliban in 14 provinces over the past month. The group claimed that 74 Taliban members were killed and 35 others wounded.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front has also said it expanded its armed operations against the Taliban to eight provinces during the previous Afghan month and carried out at least 21 guerrilla and front-line operations. It claimed that at least 65 Taliban members were killed and around 90 others wounded.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says Islamabad welcomes China’s role in Afghanistan and its efforts to ease tensions but says Beijing’s mediation will not succeed unless the Taliban changes its relationship with Pakistani insurgent groups.
Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad had so far received no new guarantees or actions from the Taliban showing that Afghan territory would not be used against Pakistan.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, he said any improvement in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan would depend on actions and assurances from the Taliban.
Referring to a visit to Islamabad by China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, Andrabi said he held talks with Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, on 31 August and 1 September.
Following border clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, peace talks between representatives of the two sides were held in Urumqi, China, from 1 to 7 April. Like previous rounds in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh, however, they ended without a tangible outcome.
Commenting on China’s efforts to revive the Urumqi process, Andrabi said Pakistan had always supported constructive dialogue on Afghanistan and maintained a positive approach. However, he said progress depended on specific and verifiable action by the Taliban government against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory against Pakistan.
Asked about recent Taliban statements on dialogue with Pakistan, Andrabi said Islamabad had seen no new development or fresh guarantee from the Taliban administration since the previous week’s press conference.
He also addressed the Taliban ambassador’s appearance at Pakistan’s National Defence University, saying diplomats regularly attend academic and educational institutions and that the visit should not be interpreted as a sign of any change in political relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
Andrabi said such visits took place within academic and educational frameworks and that no new decision had been made to expand relations with the Taliban government.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman again accused the Taliban of enabling anti-Pakistan armed groups to operate. He said Islamabad had evidence showing that Afghanistan-based elements, including Taliban officials, were supporting armed groups active in Pakistan.
He also accused India of supporting these groups, saying Pakistan possessed specific evidence to support the allegation.
Andrabi added that Pakistan’s prime minister and foreign minister had also raised security threats and what Islamabad describes as the external dimensions of terrorism at recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meetings.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban in recent years of sheltering members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups. The Taliban rejects the allegations and says it does not allow Afghan territory to be used against other countries.
The latest remarks by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman indicate that despite continuing diplomatic contacts and China’s efforts to facilitate dialogue, Islamabad still considers concrete Taliban action against anti-Pakistan armed groups the main condition for improving relations with Kabul.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says demonstrations belong to democratic systems and have no place in Islamic law. A recently approved Taliban police law bans all demonstrations across Afghanistan.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mujahid said demonstrations were associated with societies governed by separate laws and democratic systems. He added that in an Islamic system, grievances should instead be addressed by referring them to the relevant authorities.
The Taliban spokesperson described demonstrations as a waste of time that cause property damage, disorder and lawlessness. Referring to the police law, he said it had been drafted in accordance with Islamic Sharia.
The Taliban Justice Ministry recently published the Shurta Law. Article 50 states: “All demonstrations throughout Afghanistan are prohibited.”
Expanding International Relations
Although no country other than Russia has formally recognised the Taliban administration, Mujahid said the group had made progress in its diplomatic relations with other countries.
He said senior Taliban officials and representatives of various institutions had made numerous trips abroad over the past year in an effort to expand political and economic relations.
Mujahid announced the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations with Kuwait and said three Taliban political and consular missions abroad had become operational. These included Taliban embassies in Kuwait and Berlin and the group’s consulate general in Bonn, Germany.
He added that agreements had been reached over the ambassadors of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and Pakistan to Afghanistan, while non-resident ambassadors from Belarus, Niger and Ghana had also been accepted.
Mujahid also said the Taliban’s diplomatic relations with Pakistan had improved. He added that a new Taliban mission had been established and begun operating in the Iranian city of Mashhad.
Release of Afghan Prisoners
Mujahid said 1,020 Afghan prisoners had been transferred from Iran to Afghanistan, along with around 120 others from Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking during a press conference on the Taliban administration’s achievements, Mujahid said more than 15,000 people were being held in the group’s prisons across Kabul and the provinces.
He said some prisoners had been released in certain cases, while the sentences of others had been reduced. He did not provide specific figures.