Abdul Ghani Baradar says the Taliban believe that political and economic participation is essential for Afghanistan’s progress and claims that strong participation has existed during the group’s four years in power.
Sirajuddin Haqqani has ordered the redeployment of a number of Taliban forces previously transferred to “active reserve” status, sources within the Taliban’s Interior Ministry said, citing a growing shortage of personnel.
Business leaders from Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to form a joint committee to review the reopening of key trade crossings between the two countries, following an online meeting between private-sector representatives.
Afghanistan’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has become increasingly isolated and is under constant scrutiny from foreign surveillance and political pressure.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said an Iranian delegation has arrived in Kabul to discuss labour cooperation, worker exchanges and the protection of Afghan workers’ rights in Iran.
The Taliban have forced schoolteachers in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province to sign written pledges committing to grow beards, according to a document obtained by Afghanistan International.
The Taliban says their Ministry of Defence carried out more than 500,000 security operations across Afghanistan in 2025, seizing large quantities of weapons, ammunition and narcotics.
Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iranian authorities would engage with protesters but warned that what he described as “rioters” must be dealt with firmly.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has issued new directives ordering his fighters and officials to refrain from ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional bias.
The Taliban say they are seeking closer cooperation with India in the trade and health sectors, underscoring what they describe as longstanding ties between the two countries.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India has maintained a people-centric and community-focused policy towards Afghanistan. He stressed that ties between the two societies have endured despite changes in governments.
Three men from Afghanistan’s Ismaili community have been killed in separate shootings over the past month in the northern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan, local sources said.
Pakistan says it is ready to cooperate with any government chosen by the people of Afghanistan, including the current Taliban authorities, while respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s former president, travelled to Germany on Friday for medical reasons, sources close to him told Afghanistan International.
Residents of a district in northern Afghanistan clashed with Taliban members on Friday after a Taliban-linked company moved into a residential area to begin gold mining operations, local sources told Afghanistan International.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said it carried out a rocket attack on a Taliban court building in northern Afghanistan, killing four Taliban members and wounding two others.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, has warned Pakistan against attempting to dominate the Taliban, saying the group makes its decisions independently and is not dependent on Islamabad.
A drone crashed on Thursday in Maidan Wardak province, sources close to the Taliban said.
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has reshuffled 25 officials, including provincial governors, corps commanders and senior local officials, in a move that further centralises control within the interior and defence ministries.
The Taliban said six people were executed during the 2025 calendar year under orders issued by the group’s leader, while at least 1,118 others were publicly flogged by Taliban courts across Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said on Thursday that a man in northern Balkh province was publicly flogged with 39 lashes after being convicted of selling alcoholic beverages.
The US State Department has said that Zalmay Khalilzad does not represent the United States, following his recent meeting with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.