6.3 Million Afghans Have Returned Home Since 2023, Says UN

A review of statements released by the Afghanistan United Front shows that the attacks were concentrated in Kandahar, Kapisa, Helmand, Ghor, Zabul, Badakhshan, Ghazni and Parwan provinces.

According to the statements, four operations were carried out in Kandahar, two in Ghor and two in Zabul. One operation was reported in each of Badakhshan, Ghazni and Parwan, while four additional operations took place in Helmand and Kapisa.

Timeline of Attacks and Reported Casualties

According to a statement issued by the front on 22 October, four separate attacks were carried out in the first and fifth police districts of Lashkar Gah city in Helmand and in Hesa Awal Kohistan district of Kapisa. The attacks reportedly killed five Taliban members and destroyed a Ranger vehicle.

In another statement issued on 23 October, the front said it had targeted a Taliban police officer in Daman district in Kandahar, killing him and seizing his motorcycle.

A further statement issued on 26 October said the front had conducted seven simultaneous operations across six provinces.

In separate attacks in Charsada district and Firozkoh city in Ghor province, four Taliban members were reportedly killed and seven wounded.

On the same day, attacks in Qalat city in Zabul, Muqur district in Ghazni, the Gulbahar foothills of Jabal Saraj in Parwan, Tagab district of Badakhshan, and Dand district in Kandahar reportedly killed five other Taliban members and wounded two.

According to a statement issued on 27 October, a Taliban intelligence officer was killed in Shahr-e Safa district of Zabul, while a Taliban police officer identified as Mullah Samargul was killed in Tagab district in Kapisa.

Statements issued on 29 October reported two further operations in Kandahar province.

The front said it attacked a Taliban checkpoint in Arghistan district without causing casualties. In a separate attack in Spin Boldak district, the group said it targeted a Taliban vehicle, killing one Taliban member and destroying the vehicle.

Taliban officials have not yet commented on the reported attacks.

The Afghanistan United Front formally announced the launch of its armed activities against the Taliban administration in August this year.

The front initially began its attacks in southern Afghanistan, particularly in Kandahar province, and says it has since carried out numerous operations against Taliban forces across the country.

The meeting, held in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, focused on strengthening security along the CIS's external borders and countering security threats.

Representatives of member states discussed ways to combat terrorism, illegal migration, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime.

Improving the exchange of operational intelligence between border security agencies was among the key topics discussed.

Participants also examined the use of modern technologies for border control and the coordination of joint responses to emerging security threats.

Alexander Manilov, deputy chairman of the CIS Council of Border Troop Commanders, emphasised the need for coordinated efforts, saying that addressing existing threats requires constant operational readiness among border units and coordinated action by military agencies.

Yerlan Aldazhumanov, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee and head of the country's Border Guard Service, said the meetings are held twice a year to assess the operational situation along external borders and organise protective measures.

According to Aldazhumanov, particular attention is given to joint border operations covering areas from Afghanistan's borders to the western frontiers of CIS member states, facilitating coordination in addressing cross-border threats.

In addition to operational matters, the meeting addressed personnel training, military education and development programmes, and scientific and research cooperation.

Aldazhumanov noted that most decisions adopted by the council are approved unanimously, helping member states coordinate their approaches to border security.

The meeting comes as the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks about security threats originating from Afghanistan, particularly along its border with Tajikistan.

The organisation's secretary-general recently announced that member states, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus, are expected to begin supplying weapons and military equipment to Tajikistan by the end of this year to strengthen its border with Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously warned that Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) intends to use Afghanistan as a base to expand its terrorist activities into Central Asia and Russia.

Lavrov said terrorist groups maintain a significant number of training camps in Afghanistan's border regions with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In a statement, the EU called on the Taliban to end restrictions imposed on women and girls.

At the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the EU welcomed the latest report by the UN Special Rapporteur, Richard Bennett, on human rights in Afghanistan, saying it documented the country's deteriorating human rights situation.

The EU said Bennett's report also highlighted the devastating impact of Taliban policies on children and young people, particularly girls, children returning to Afghanistan and children with disabilities.

In its statement, the EU said Afghan women and girls continue to be denied their fundamental rights, including education, employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life.

The EU stressed that these systematic and structural violations of women's and girls' rights may constitute gender-based persecution, a crime classified as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The EU also criticised the increasing use of corporal punishment and public floggings, urging the Taliban to suspend executions and ultimately abolish the death penalty. It described these practices as violations of human dignity and contrary to international human rights standards.

The statement also condemned the repression of civil society and independent media, calling on the Taliban to end arbitrary detentions, intimidation, censorship and interference in media activities.

The EU further emphasised the need to protect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and other vulnerable groups.

The EU's statement comes after Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, recently told the General Assembly that the Taliban had shown no indication of changing their policies. Instead, he said, the group had intensified pressure on women, girls and other Afghan citizens by introducing further restrictions.

The EU reiterated that Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where women and girls are barred from continuing their education beyond the age of 12.

The EU also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting accountability and justice, including through the International Criminal Court.

The statement said the EU supports an Afghan-led political process that includes all Afghans and guarantees the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

Expressing deep concern over the worsening human rights situation, the Norwegian representative called for the repeal of discriminatory and systematic policies targeting women and girls in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on Wednesday, 28 October, Norway's representative welcomed the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan and reaffirmed the country's full support for his mandate and vital work in documenting human rights conditions and ensuring that Afghan voices, particularly those of women and girls, are heard.

Highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, the representative stressed that Norway remained deeply concerned about systematic discrimination against women and girls, which has severely restricted their fundamental rights and freedoms, including access to education, employment, healthcare, freedom of movement and participation in public life.

The Norwegian representative urged Taliban authorities to immediately repeal these policies and comply with Afghanistan's international human rights obligations.

The representative also emphasised the need to keep accountability at the centre of the international response and welcomed strengthened international efforts, including the independent investigative mechanism established by the UN Human Rights Council.

The representative noted that the Special Rapporteur and the new mechanism, through their distinct but complementary roles, would help preserve evidence and lay the groundwork for justice.

Norway's representative also highlighted the essential role of Afghan civil society and women's rights organisations, reaffirming the country's continued support for civil society activists despite the extraordinarily difficult conditions they face.

The representative raised the question of how the international community could effectively support civil society and women's organisations in such a restrictive environment without exposing them to further risks.

In a statement, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Taliban forces had opened fire on Pakistani military posts and residential areas in Lower South Waziristan on Tuesday, 27 October, without provocation.

According to the ministry, one civilian was killed and five others were wounded in the incident.

The Taliban's Defence Ministry had earlier claimed that Pakistan used drones to target the Angoor Adda market and a civilian office in Paktika province without provocation or justification. The ministry said Taliban forces responded by attacking a Pakistani military base and nearby border posts.

Responding to these allegations, Pakistan's Information Ministry said Taliban forces had initiated the gunfire and mortar shelling against unarmed civilians on Pakistani territory.

The ministry also claimed that Pakistani forces responded immediately, inflicting heavy casualties and material losses on Taliban forces and destroying seven of their border posts.

Without providing independent evidence, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting further alleged that the Taliban forces' actions followed a pattern of behaviour and instructions from India.

Faisal Karim Kundi, governor of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, also condemned the firing from Afghanistan, saying Pakistan would not tolerate attacks on its citizens or violations of its sovereignty.

According to Pakistani officials, the firing originated from posts inside Afghanistan, with Pakistani troops targeted by both light and heavy weapons. Pakistani sources said the army responded by targeting several Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive fortifications using light and heavy weapons, including artillery.

Angoor Adda is one of the most important and sensitive border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, serving as a key route for trade and the movement of people between the two countries.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration have increased in recent years, particularly over the presence of armed groups in Afghanistan and attacks inside Pakistan. Islamabad has repeatedly demanded that the Taliban dismantle Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) safe havens in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials say these demands have so far produced no results.

In recent months, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of launching cross-border attacks. Pakistan also carried out air strikes in September and early October against what it described as terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan. The Taliban administration condemned the strikes as violations of Afghanistan's sovereignty.