Afghanistan

Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov has warned that the return of US military facilities to Afghanistan would pose a direct threat to countries across the region.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi says the international community has failed to provide sufficient support for alternative livelihoods for farmers following the Taliban’s efforts to curb narcotics.

Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi, a Taliban deputy information minister, called efforts to draw the group into war with Pakistan a foreign project, but said its lack of response to Pakistani strikes did not mean retreat and that war remained an option.

Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq said at a gathering in Maidan Wardak that the Taliban administration would defend itself against any aggression.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says blaming Afghanistan is not a solution to Islamabad’s failures, urging Pakistan to address its internal crises instead of engaging in negative propaganda.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says more than 20,000 militants, including 6,000 TTP members, are currently in Afghanistan, where he says they operate from safe havens and receive training.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has warned the Afghan Taliban of consequences if it fails to act against terrorism originating from Afghanistan, calling terrorism the biggest challenge facing the region and the world.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says no part of Iranian territory can be transferred to another country, calling recent claims about allocating land in Chabahar to Afghanistan a misunderstanding.

Iran’s former foreign minister has said that representatives of the Quds Force, the overseas operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are appointed as Iranian ambassadors to countries in the region, including Afghanistan.

At least 233 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 through September 2026, with the number of executions rising sharply in recent years.

The EU has appointed Thomas Frellesen as its new special envoy for Afghanistan. He says support for Afghans, particularly women and girls, will remain central to the bloc’s engagement with the country.

Shahabuddin Delawar, head of the Taliban’s contact commission, has ruled out political talks with opponents, saying negotiations would amount to recognising them as a party to Afghanistan’s conflict.

Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of poor governance and called the party a branch of the TTP, alleging it spends provincial funds on protests instead of counter-terrorism.

The UN says 1,415 children were killed or wounded in Afghanistan over three years, including 446 killed and 969 injured. The casualties included 1,094 boys, 310 girls and 11 children of unknown sex.

A Pakistani security analyst says Russia’s changing stance towards the Taliban and ISIS suggests Moscow is reshaping its Afghanistan policy and creating a new “Great Game” in the region.

Nikkei Asia says continued clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, along with failed Chinese mediation, have complicated Afghanistan’s security situation and could increase the risk of renewed civil war.

Iranian MP Mohsen Zangeneh has walked back remarks about allocating more than 110 hectares of land in Chabahar to Afghanistan, saying no Iranian territory has been handed over.

Taliban governors, police chiefs, intelligence officials and military commanders from five northern provinces met in Maimana on Thursday night amid increased attacks by armed opposition groups.