Afghanistan

Informed sources told Afghanistan International on Wednesday that informal talks are under way in Istanbul between figures close to the Taliban and the Pakistani government to explore ways to resolve tensions.

A Taliban security commission meeting chaired by Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob reviewed the country’s defence and security situation, according to Taliban-affiliated media.

The Taliban’s ministry of communications and information technology says it has shut down two Starlink receivers in Bamiyan, saying they were operating without licences. The ministry said these devices were seized in coordination with security agencies.

Security sources in Pakistan told Dawn on Wednesday that its forces destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and vehicles in Chaman, in response to what they described as cross-border aggression.

The Taliban’s justice ministry says a land recovery commission has identified more than 415 acres of land in Kabul’s District 16 as state property, with a court ordering the plots be handed over for restitution.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General said at least seven people were killed and 79 others, mostly children, injured in Pakistani strikes in Kunar, warning continued fighting is putting vulnerable communities at greater risk.

European Commission spokesperson, Markus Lammert said the European Commission does not confirm plans to host Taliban officials in Brussels or invite them, adding that only technical contacts continue over returns.

Sources say a recent Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Pakistan was issued after approval by Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul, with the summoning of its ambassador largely symbolic.

The UK Ministry of Defence has told Afghan refugees with acceptance letters to find their own way out of Afghanistan, with about 9,000 still awaiting relocation, Luke Pollard said.

The Taliban said it would take “two steps” towards easing tensions if Pakistan takes one, according to Abdul Wasi, Head of Taliban’s PM Office after talks with Richard Lindsay, UK enovy.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, The Taliban interior minister met Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan in Kabul on Tuesday, as both sides stressed closer cooperation between Russia and the group.

Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, said at an event that the “illegitimate rule of the Taliban” must be challenged through civic, field and intellectual efforts, calling the struggle for Afghanistan’s freedom a “religious duty”.

The Taliban’s foreign ministry says it summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul over attacks by Pakistani forces on civilian targets along the border, including a university in Kunar, calling them a violation of Afghan airspace.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that dozens of civilians were killed and injured in Monday evening’s attacks on Asadabad in Kunar, without identifying the perpetrator, though local sources blame Pakistan.

Local residents in Kunar told Afghanistan International that Pakistani forces attacked Khas Kunar district with heavy weapons, forcing some civilians to flee their homes in fear of mortar strikes.

Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban fired mortars from Afghan territory at areas in Chaman and Bajaur in Pakistan overnight, killing at least one person and injuring another.

UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has appointed Bruno Georges Lemarquis as the new Deputy Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, where he will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and broadcasting on Monday denied reports it had attacked Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University and residential areas in Kunar. The ministry called the claims blatant lies and an attempt to win sympathy and conceal Taliban support for the TTP.