Six People Executed For Alleged Taliban Spying, Says Afghanistan United Front
A spokesperson for the Afghanistan United Front told Afghanistan International that the group has executed six people following rulings by its military judge.
A spokesperson for the Afghanistan United Front told Afghanistan International that the group has executed six people following rulings by its military judge.
He said those executed had been convicted of spying for the Taliban and other offences.
According to the spokesperson, the front's internal regulations prescribe the death penalty for cooperation with the Taliban, particularly in military matters.
Helal Kakar told Afghanistan International that the six individuals had also been accused of sexual harassment and abusing civilians, in addition to spying for the Taliban.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kakar stressed that under the front's regulations, cooperation with the Taliban in any capacity, including within the police, intelligence services or the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, is punishable by death.
The Afghanistan United Front, an armed opposition group fighting the Taliban, announced on Tuesday that it had "arrested and executed" two people in Ghor province on suspicion of spying for the Taliban.
The group also released two videos showing the individuals being shot dead.
Asked by Afghanistan International what evidence the front had to support its allegations that the two individuals were spies, Kakar said the group considered carrying weapons alongside Taliban members and providing the Taliban with information about civilians to be evidence of collaboration.
Kakar insisted that the front had reviewed documents relating to the allegations against the two individuals and would make them public at an appropriate time.
He did not disclose where the proceedings had taken place but said the front's fighters had carried out the executions at a location near where the individuals were arrested.
The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has warned of growing terrorist activity, drug trafficking and the risk of conflict in the region following a joint meeting of foreign and defence ministers, and security council secretaries in Moscow.
The meeting also highlighted the need to strengthen collective defence capabilities and address emerging security challenges.
According to a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry, the meeting was held on Tuesday, 10 November, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The CSTO comprises six member states: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Participants reviewed the security situation across CSTO member states and neighbouring regions, discussing measures to combat cybercrime, irregular migration and terrorist threats.
The meeting also saw the preparation of documents aimed at strengthening the organisation's military capabilities, including the development of joint air forces, air defence systems and biological security measures. The documents are expected to be submitted to the Collective Security Council for final approval.
Officials also announced that Tajikistan would host the next meeting of CSTO foreign ministers in the first half of 2027.
Tajikistan shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometres with Afghanistan, much of it running through mountainous and difficult terrain along the Panj River.
CSTO officials have repeatedly warned that the presence of terrorist and extremist groups in northern Afghanistan, particularly Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), could pose a direct threat to Central Asia and the organisation's member states.
CSTO members have expressed concern that terrorist threats, drug trafficking and extremist infiltration could spread from Afghanistan into their territories. Strengthening border security has therefore become one of their main priorities.
As part of these efforts, the organisation has launched a five-year intergovernmental programme to reinforce security along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border.
Under the programme, CSTO members, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, are expected to supply Tajikistan with weapons, military equipment and technical border protection systems by the end of 2026.
The initiative is intended to strengthen Tajikistan's border defences and prevent security threats originating in Afghanistan from spreading into neighbouring countries.
Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has called for an investigation into the Taliban's possible involvement in attacks on figures from Afghanistan's former government in Iran.
However, he stressed that responsibility for the attacks could not be attributed to the Taliban without evidence.
In an interview with the IRAF news agency published on Tuesday, Ardestani said the recurrence of such attacks and the possibility that they were connected raised concerns about Iran's national security. However, he said the incidents would not necessarily affect relations between Tehran and the Taliban.
He identified political motives, personal disputes and organised operations as possible explanations that security agencies should investigate.
The Iranian lawmaker said that if the attacks against influential figures from Afghanistan's former government were found to be part of a series of organised operations, the possibility of political motives would arise.
He also described the Taliban's possible involvement as one of the hypotheses worth examining, but emphasised that attributing the attacks to the group or any other organisation would require evidence and the findings of security investigations.
Referring to the recent assassination attempt against Ahmad Khan Ghori, the former head of Ghor Provincial Council, in Mashhad, Ardestani said a political motive was possible, but personal disputes and financial issues should also be investigated.
He added that if links between the attacks were established, their recurrence could indicate weaknesses within Iran's security agencies and create the impression that certain individuals were not adequately protected in the country.
According to Ardestani, identifying those responsible and investigating any potential networks should be priorities for the relevant authorities.
Previously, Marouf Ghulami, a former mujahideen commander and an associate of Mohammad Ismail Khan, was shot dead at his office on Mofatteh Street in Mashhad on 13 September 2025.
Sources close to Ismail Khan blamed the Taliban for the assassination, but Iranian officials did not comment publicly at the time on the perpetrators or their motives.
On 24 December 2025, General Ekramuddin Saree, the former police chief of Takhar province, and Mohammad Amin Almas, a former Afghan military officer, were killed in an armed attack in Tehran.
Responsibility for that attack has not officially been attributed to any individual or group.
The Iranian government has not released information about these killings or the findings of its investigations.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was a disaster for American credibility and demanded a thorough, candid review. He said the US was humiliated in Kabul five years ago as its adversaries watched.
Speaking on Monday, 9 November, Hegseth described the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan as one of the previous administration's major failures and criticised the performance of Lloyd Austin, who served as Defence Secretary under former President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration's Secretary of War also criticised Congress for its handling of Austin's performance, saying that despite the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, no impeachment vote had been held against the then-Defence Secretary.
As part of a broader assessment of America's military educational institutions, Hegseth said the country's war colleges had avoided thoroughly examining recent strategic failures, including the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 during the presidency of Joe Biden.
According to Hegseth, some instructors at these institutions consider such subjects sensitive or politically controversial, an approach he argued was incompatible with serious military strategy education.
Referring to the deadly attack at Abbey Gate at Kabul airport during the US withdrawal, Hegseth said 13 American service members had been killed as a result of operational, strategic and political failures.
He described the chaotic collapse of the US presence in Afghanistan as a complete disaster for American credibility and said the country's war colleges owed those who served during the 20-year war in Afghanistan a frank and candid assessment of America's performance.
Hegseth also questioned why senior US officials had failed to anticipate the collapse of the Afghan government and why the country's operational plans had fallen apart within days.
As American and international forces withdrew from Afghanistan, the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban returned to power.
Donald Trump has also repeatedly criticised the way US forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan International has learned from an eyewitness and relatives of two victims that the number of Afghan migrants who died at the Iran-Türkiye border may exceed the eight whose bodies were discovered in recent days.
Munir Khan Safi told Afghanistan International that his brother, Hamed Safi, died on Thursday night in the border area between Iran and Türkiye. According to him, Hamed's death was separate from those of the eight migrants whose bodies had previously been discovered and are currently being held in Van, Türkiye.
Afghanistan International has examined documents showing that Hamed, the son of Abdul Qayum, was approximately 22 years old and originally from Imam Sahib district in Kunduz province.
Hamed's family said his body is currently being held in a government mortuary in the Chaldoran border area on the Iranian side. Afghanistan International has also seen a photograph of Hamed's body.
The outlet has also examined other photographs which, according to the young man's family, show him in the Chaldoran area before he set off towards the Turkish border.
Junaid, 20, accused Turkish border police and human smugglers of mistreating and abusing migrants in an interview with Afghanistan International.
He said he and Hamed crossed the Turkish border wall in the Chaldoran area on Thursday night but were caught by border forces after entering Turkish territory.
According to Junaid, border guards mistreated and beat them. He alleged that officers forced the migrants to stand barefoot in the snow in freezing conditions and poured cold water over their naked bodies.
Turkish border police were also accused of stripping the migrants of all their clothing before forcing them back over the border wall towards Iran.
Junaid said he and Hamed lost consciousness after walking for hours in the cold. When he regained consciousness, he realised he had been moved to a room and that Hamed had died.
Afghanistan International has been unable to independently verify the exact cause of Hamed's death.
According to meteorological data, temperatures in the Chaldoran area dropped to around zero degrees Celsius on Thursday night and Friday last week. Daytime temperatures ranged between approximately 5°C and 10°C.
Hamed's family believes that exploitation and extortion by smugglers, what they describe as torture and violence by Turkish border forces, the forced return of migrants and extreme cold contributed to his death.
The cause of Hamed's death has not yet been independently confirmed.
The accounts provided by Junaid and Hamed's family represent one of the cases Afghanistan International has investigated concerning conditions faced by migrants along the Iran-Türkiye border. Other migrants may have had different experiences, and the causes of their deaths may also differ.
In recent days, several Afghan asylum seekers have sent videos to Afghanistan International complaining of violence in Turkish border areas.
They have reported extortion and mistreatment by human smugglers and border forces, as well as extreme cold along migration routes.
Bodies of Eight Afghan Migrants Discovered
In one incident, a video showing the bodies of eight young Afghan men in the border area between Türkiye and Iran was circulated, prompting widespread reactions.
Sharif Nazari, the brother of one of the victims, told Afghanistan International on Tuesday, 10 November, that he had identified his brother, Reza Nazari, among the eight men.
According to him, Reza is the last person visible in the video showing the bodies and was probably the youngest victim of the incident.
Afghanistan International has examined documents showing that Reza Nazari, the son of Ali Chaman Nazari and a native of Bamyan province, was born on 24 September 2009.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child.
Sharif Nazari called on Turkish, Iranian and Taliban authorities to cooperate in transferring Reza's body to Kabul so his family could bury him.
According to Sharif Nazari, the victims' bodies are being held in the Turkish city of Van, and their families have not yet been given access to them.
On Sunday, 8 November, informed sources sent Afghanistan International a video showing the bodies of eight Afghan migrants.
The footage shows the bodies of eight young men whose chins appear to have been tied with strips of material.
The person recording the video can be heard speaking with an Afghan Persian accent, identifying the deceased as travellers.
The Afghan Refugees Association in Türkiye also confirmed the deaths of the eight migrants in an interview with Afghanistan International.
The association said Afghans living in Van had not yet been permitted to visit the hospital to identify or view the bodies.
Turkish media reported that the bodies of eight young men were discovered near the Yukarı Tulgalı area of Özalp district in Van province, approximately three kilometres from the Iranian border.
The reports did not identify the victims and attributed their deaths to extreme cold.
However, the cause of death of the eight migrants has not been independently verified.
Calls for Investigation Into Migrant Deaths
Özkan Öztaş, a Turkish journalist, told Afghanistan International on Monday that the local administration in Van had ordered information relating to the case to remain confidential.
The incident has prompted reactions from several Turkish opposition politicians.
Gülcan Kaçmaz Sayyiğit, a member of the Turkish parliament representing the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), wrote to the country's Interior Minister on Monday, calling for a judicial investigation, the identification of the victims and the arrest of any potential suspects.
In her letter, she referred to similar incidents involving migrant deaths in Turkish border areas.
According to Sayyiğit, the bodies of 19 Afghan migrants were discovered in May 2002 after snow melted in the Chaldoran area of Van province.
She also referred to the deaths of several migrants in the Başkale area and along migration routes in 2019.
Highlighting the impact of regional conflicts and economic crises on migration, the lawmaker called for stronger measures to protect migrants' rights in border regions.
She also requested information from Turkiye's Interior Ministry about the number of migrants held in removal centres in Van province, deportation figures over the past five years and the number of people who had entered the province from Iran since 2020.
Sayyiğit further questioned the ministry about government action against human-smuggling networks, the number of people arrested in connection with such networks over the past five years and measures to prevent violations of migrants' rights in removal centres.
Seracettin Bedirhanoğlu, head of the Republican People's Party (CHP) branch in Van, also attributed the incident to failures in migration management, shortcomings in border monitoring and disregard for human life.
He called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident and the identification of anyone potentially responsible.
Türkiye is one of the main migration routes used by Afghans travelling towards Greece and other European countries.
The country also hosts many Afghan migrants, some of whom live and work there without valid residence documents.
Democratic Representatives Jason Crow and Sam Liccardo announced on Monday that they would seek a House vote on legislation to prevent the deportation of Afghan refugees. Several Republican lawmakers have also backed the proposal.
The two lawmakers aim to collect 218 signatures to bring the bill to a vote without the approval of Republican leaders.
If passed and signed into law, the legislation would restore Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Afghans, allowing them to remain in the United States until July 2029.
The Trump administration revoked TPS for Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the United States following the fall of Kabul and has taken steps to deport them. However, several federal courts have blocked the deportation of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Crow and Liccardo need the support of all current Democratic representatives and several Republicans to secure the required signatures. If at least 218 lawmakers sign their petition, they can force Republican House leaders to hold a vote.
The two representatives had taken an initial procedural step on 1 October, allowing them to begin collecting signatures immediately after submitting the new petition.
Their bill, introduced this summer, requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives to pass.
Jason Crow, a US military veteran who served in Afghanistan, said Afghans who worked alongside American forces had risked their lives to protect US service members.
He said he was working to bring legislation protecting Afghans living in the US to a vote because he would not allow his country to abandon those brave Afghans.
Sam Liccardo also said thousands of Afghans had risked their lives alongside US forces because the US had promised not to leave them behind.
He warned that they now faced the risk of being returned to Taliban rule.
Liccardo stressed that action on the issue should not be delayed until Democrats regain a majority in the House of Representatives.
So far, four Republican lawmakers have supported the legislation: Don Bacon of Nebraska, Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Morgan Luttrell of Texas.
Kevin Kiley, a representative from California who was previously a Republican and now serves as an independent, has also backed the proposal.
More than 50 organisations, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Amnesty International USA, have expressed support for the legislation.
The US Congress established the TPS programme in 1990 to allow migrants who cannot safely return to their home countries because of war or crises to remain and work in the United States for a designated period. This protection can be extended.
The Biden administration extended these protections to Afghans in 2022, but the Trump administration announced in May 2025 that it would terminate them.
Kristi Noem, who was serving as US Secretary of Homeland Security at the time, said the programme had been created to provide temporary protection to migrants and should remain temporary.
She claimed that security conditions in Afghanistan had improved, its economy had stabilised and Afghan nationals could return to their country.