Afghanistan

Taalatbek Masadykov, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, has voiced concern over the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, saying the first weapons and equipment will be delivered to Dushanbe this autumn.

The United Front of Afghanistan says at least 180 religious scholars from across the country have issued a fatwa calling on the group to carry out military operations against the Taliban.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Afghan Taliban could be considered an Indian proxy if it does not act in its own interests and instead serves what Islamabad describes as India’s efforts to destabilise Pakistan.

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan says the Taliban has launched a “broad and multi-layered cognitive and psychological warfare campaign” against its opponents after failing to suppress resistance militarily.

According to a document obtained by Afghanistan International, the Taliban Communications Ministry has ordered Afghan Telecom and several private firms to halt all fibre-optic expansion, repair and infrastructure work until further notice.

US President Donald Trump has again criticised the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan under Joe Biden, saying the disastrous operation allowed the Taliban to free thousands of terrorists and violent criminals from Bagram prison.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front said on Thursday that it killed three Taliban members in an attack on a checkpoint in Kabul’s 16th police district. The group said at least two others were wounded.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, says progress in talks with the Taliban depends on practical action against armed groups and compliance with international commitments, including preventing Afghan territory from being used against Pakistan.

Abdul Basir Mazhari, the Taliban police chief in Badakhshan, claimed on Wednesday that Pakistan has established shelters and training centres for armed Taliban opponents along the border and in the Chitral region.

On the fifth anniversary of the deadly ISIS-K attack on US forces at Kabul airport, the US Embassy in Islamabad thanked Pakistan for helping identify, arrest and extradite a suspect linked to the bombing.

Former US Deputy Secretary of State Uzra Zeya urged Washington to honour commitments to Afghan allies, ease restrictive refugee and resettlement policies, restore humanitarian aid and ensure Afghan women have a role in US policy.

UNHCR says clashes in Badakhshan and border tensions with Pakistan have heightened concerns over further internal displacement in Afghanistan, as deportations from Iran and Pakistan also increase.

Sources told Afghanistan International that unidentified gunmen shot dead two former Afghan soldiers in Quetta city in Pakistan. Police confirmed the attack but have not released details about the victims’ identities.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front said at least 10 Taliban members were killed and six wounded in clashes on Tuesday in Zebak district, Badakhshan, adding that foreign militants were among the casualties.

Sources told Afghanistan International that Nawidullah Fitrat, a teacher and Taliban critic, was detained by the Taliban in Herat on Wednesday after recently speaking out against the group’s policies and actions.

Ryan Crocker, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, has warned that continued neglect of Afghanistan could have negative consequences for US and global security, citing the lessons of the 1990s.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry has rejected as “baseless” a claim by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid that Pakistani military personnel were involved in recent fighting in Badakhshan.

Families of some prisoners say they face complex procedures and lengthy waits to visit relatives held at Bagram prison. They say Taliban military court approval is required and can sometimes take months.