Gordon Brown, former British prime minister and UN special envoy for global education, has urged Muslim countries to pressure the Taliban to lift the ban on girls’ education, stressing that the international community has a responsibility towards Afghan girls.
Speaking at a UN press conference on Thursday, September 24, Brown said the Taliban authorities had imposed further restrictions on girls through new decrees, denying them access to secondary education and many of their rights.
The UN special envoy called for increased pressure on the Taliban authorities. He argued that Muslim countries could exert greater influence on religious authorities in Kandahar than Western countries. Brown also stressed the importance of supporting online education and underground schools.
He also addressed efforts to normalise relations with the Taliban, saying countries should prioritise girls’ education in their negotiations.
The UN special envoy for global education said there was a divide between Taliban officials based in Kandahar and those in Kabul. He added that some Taliban ministers had recognised that the education ban was a violation of human rights and was damaging the country’s economy.
Pakistani security sources told Afghanistan International that the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has established military training centres in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika. They said some Afghan Taliban fighters have joined the centres and the TTP’s ranks.
According to Pakistani security sources, the presence of Afghan Taliban fighters at TTP training centres indicates an overlap between Taliban structures and the Pakistani Taliban’s infrastructure.
The sources added that whenever TTP hideouts and facilities are targeted, the Taliban defend the group’s members and shelters rather than dismantling them.
Pakistani security sources also said that armed group activity in Afghanistan is not limited to the TTP, claiming that al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and ISIS are also present in parts of the country.
Previous United Nations reports have also documented the continued presence and activities of these groups in Afghanistan.
In recent months, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of providing safe havens for the TTP and allowing the group to carry out attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the allegations, saying it does not allow Afghan territory to be used against other countries.
Widespread Afghan Presence in TTP Ranks
Pakistani security sources said more than 70% of TTP fighters entering Pakistan from Afghanistan are Afghan nationals.
According to the sources, the Taliban has also supplied TTP fighters with weapons and equipment left behind by US and NATO forces. They cited M4 rifles, Remington sniper rifles and night-vision equipment as examples.
According to information provided by Pakistani sources, the identities of 260 Afghan nationals killed in attacks and what the sources described as “terrorist activities in Pakistan” have been established, including their names, addresses and family details.
Pakistani sources said the figure does not include unidentified individuals or active fighters, adding that some of those killed were buried in their home areas in Afghanistan.
The sources also claimed that terrorist activities originating from Afghan territory have killed 1,327 Pakistanis and wounded another 2,484 so far in 2026.
In response to an increase in armed attacks in Pakistan, Islamabad has carried out airstrikes on several Taliban bases and military facilities in three Afghan provinces in recent days.
Pakistan said its strikes on September 21 targeted militant positions in Kunar and Paktika, killing 28 people, while the Taliban and the United Nations reported that three civilians had been killed in Kunar.
On September 24, Pakistan also announced that it had targeted 10 sites in Afghanistan associated with the storage and launch of drones. The Taliban said at least four civilians had been killed in recent Pakistani strikes across three provinces.
The Taliban described the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and said it had carried out attacks on Pakistani border positions in response.
Pakistani security sources told Afghanistan International that 260 Afghans have been killed fighting alongside the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in Pakistan, adding that their identities and addresses have been established.
Afghanistan International has obtained the names, personal details and photographs of these individuals.
According to the sources, the bodies of those killed were returned to their home villages for burial. They said even officials from the Taliban administration attended their funerals.
Pakistani security sources said the figure of 260 includes only those whose identities and personal details could be established. They stressed that the number of Afghans killed while fighting in the ranks of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) whose identities remain unknown has not been determined.
The sources also claimed that between 60 and 70 Afghan nationals are currently present in each TTP infiltration group.
Pakistani security sources also accused the Taliban administration of supplying weapons and equipment left behind by NATO and the United States to members of the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatists.
According to the sources, almost all members of these groups now possess American M4 rifles, Remington sniper rifles and night-vision equipment.
The Taliban administration has consistently denied Pakistan’s allegations that Afghan territory is being used by the TTP to carry out attacks against Pakistan. In recent years, Islamabad has repeatedly expressed concern over the presence and activities of TTP members in Afghanistan, identifying them as a major factor behind rising insecurity in Pakistan.
Pakistani security sources claimed that a proxy war against their country is being conducted with India’s full support. Both the Taliban and India have denied the allegation.
The sources said that in 2026 alone, terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory have killed 1,327 Pakistanis and wounded another 2,484. According to them, these figures demonstrate the human cost of terrorism originating from Afghanistan.
The claims come amid escalating clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan in recent days. On Thursday, 24 September, Pakistan announced that it had targeted 10 locations in Afghanistan. In response, the Taliban warned that it would deliver a “crushing response” to the attacks.
Local sources in Ghor say Taliban intelligence forces raided the home of Mohammad Hamidi, imam of the Khatam al-Anbiya mosque. At least eight people have reportedly been detained or gone missing, with their families unaware of their whereabouts.
According to the sources, Taliban forces stormed Hamidi’s home in the Mohajerin township of Lal wa Sarjangal district on Tuesday, September 22, and surrounded his house and those of several relatives. The sources said the siege continued into Wednesday.
Information provided by local sources indicates that Hamidi’s son Abdullah and his brother Musa Fazel, along with several family friends, were detained during the operation. Accounts of the number of detainees vary among local sources and have not been independently verified.
A source close to the family said Hamidi also left his home during the raid, but it remains unclear whether he managed to escape the area or was detained by Taliban forces. One of his relatives said the family still had no information about his whereabouts or condition.
The incident came days after local sources reported that Hamidi had been detained for holding a religious ceremony and delivering a sermon commemorating Fatima Zahra. People close to the cleric said he was released after being detained by Taliban intelligence and morality police, but was subsequently barred from teaching, delivering religious sermons and leading congregational prayers.
Sources close to Hamidi said religious differences and his activities within the Shia community were among the reasons behind the pressure on him. They also alleged that the Taliban had collected recordings of several speeches he delivered during the former republic and used them as evidence against him. The Taliban has not confirmed these claims.
The Taliban has not officially commented on the operation, the number of people detained or their whereabouts.
Afghanistan’s Hazara and Shia communities have faced a range of security threats and religious restrictions in recent years.
In recent weeks, the Taliban has raided several major Shia political and cultural institutions in Kabul and shut down some universities, media outlets and political offices.
Taliban forces stormed former president Hamid Karzai’s home and dispersed a group of people who had gone there to meet him.
The reason for the raid remains unclear. Reliable sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that Taliban forces prevented Karzai’s guests from meeting the former president.
The sources said Taliban forces stormed Karzai’s residence on Wednesday morning, September 23, and “disrespected” tribal elders who were on their way to meet him. It remains unclear whether the aim was to cancel the meeting or impose further restrictions on the former president’s activities.
According to the sources, Taliban personnel entered the former president’s residence without prior coordination. Some people protested against their conduct and asked to be allowed to meet Karzai, but armed Taliban forces dispersed them.
The Taliban has not yet explained the reason for the incident. It is also unclear which official ordered the forces to go to Karzai’s home. Sources said, however, that no attempt was made to arrest him.
One source said the latest restrictions were linked to Karzai’s recent statements on political developments in Afghanistan.
Over the past week, Karzai issued two messages marking the assassinations of Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan’s former defence minister and president. He described one as a heroic mujahid and the other as a supporter of peace.
Neither the Taliban authorities nor Karzai’s office has so far commented on the incident.
The Taliban had previously imposed restrictions on Karzai’s movements and activities. In recent years, he has been prevented from making several foreign trips. In July, he was also barred from travelling to his home province of Kandahar.
Another source said restrictions on his social and political activities had also been tightened. According to the source, he cannot meet domestic or foreign figures, diplomats or political leaders without permission.
Sources also confirmed that the Taliban prevented Karzai from attending some Ashura ceremonies and from taking part in the funeral of Ali Khamenei, the former leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the sources, some senior Taliban officials have told the former president to refrain from making public comments about the country’s political situation, girls’ education and other issues. Over the past five years, Karzai has repeatedly called on the Taliban authorities to reopen schools and universities to girls.
Karzai remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power. During this period, he made a limited number of foreign trips, including to Germany, reportedly for annual medical examinations. He also travelled to the United Arab Emirates and UK.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says a technical delegation held talks in Uzbekistan on the Toti Maidan gas block in Jowzjan and the problems facing the project.
According to a ministry statement, the Taliban delegation, led by Ahmad Jan, a senior adviser to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, met Uzbek officials on Tuesday, September 22, to review the project’s status, technical and financial problems, and obstacles to implementing the contract.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that during a previous visit by an Uzbek delegation to Afghanistan, the two sides had set a 120-day period to assess problems affecting the Toti Maidan project. Under the agreement, both sides were expected to examine the obstacles and work towards resolving them during that period.
Uzbek officials said that although the contract for the Toti Maidan gas block had been signed between a private company and the Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the Uzbek government was following the project at the state level and was ready to cooperate on oversight, financing and resolving technical problems.
The ministry also said it would cooperate in areas under its responsibility to remove obstacles and advance the project.
Exploration and extraction work at the Toti Maidan gas project in Jowzjan began on September 14, 2025. Ismatulla Irgashev, the Uzbek president’s special representative for Afghanistan, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and other officials from both sides attended the launch ceremony.
At the time, Baradar said the completion of gas exploration and extraction would help meet part of Afghanistan’s domestic demand and reduce its dependence on imported gas and electricity. He also said increased production could eventually create opportunities for gas exports.
In recent years, the Taliban has signed several contracts with companies and countries for the exploration and extraction of Afghanistan’s oil, gas and mineral resources. However, some of these projects have faced delays, technical difficulties or funding shortages.
The Toti Maidan project has also encountered technical and financial problems, despite being presented by the Taliban at its launch as an important project for developing Afghanistan’s energy sector and reducing dependence on imports.