Top Taliban leaders, including the group’s economic and administrative deputy prime ministers, interior and foreign ministers and army chief, devoted a significant part of their Independence Day speeches to opponents, urging them to end fighting & activities against the Taliban.
India’s Foreign Ministry defended the presence of an official at a Taliban takeover anniversary event at the Afghan embassy in Delhi, saying India’s engagement with the Taliban has gained momentum over the past year.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani called on the group’s opponents to stop fighting, saying they should not ruin their own lives or those of the Afghan people.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said around two-thirds of the 900,000 children who have returned to Afghanistan remain out of school, with nearly 600,000 lacking access to education.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says at least 42 children aged between 9 and 14 were wounded in an explosion at an educational centre in Kabul’s Dasht-e Barchi area on Monday evening.
The Taliban’s envoy in New Delhi referred to Lahore, alongside Delhi, as one of India’s cities during a ceremony.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Afghanistan International that the explosion at a school in western Kabul may have been carried out by Islamic State or “groups affiliated with it”.
In the latest sign of closer ties between India and the Taliban, Anand Prakash, a senior Indian Foreign Ministry official, attended an event in New Delhi marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has described an explosion near a school in Dasht-e Barchi, a predominantly Hazara area of Kabul, as deplorable.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran has not yet reached a final decision on formally recognising the Taliban government.
Residents of Kabul reported an explosion in the Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul on Monday, 17 August. Some residents said the blast occurred near a school. Details about the cause and possible casualties remain unclear.
Protests marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power have spread to 28 cities worldwide, with many demonstrators urging governments not to normalise ties with the group and to recognise gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
The United Nations said on Sunday that more than 700 trucks carrying international humanitarian aid had entered Afghanistan through Pakistan.
Afghan artists, civil society activists and citizens gathered in Washington to protest Taliban policies, joining demonstrations in cities worldwide and calling for support for Afghans’ rights, particularly those of women and girls.
Sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International on Monday that dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh left his military positions and surrendered to Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat in Nusay district centre.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that normalising relations with the Taliban depends on respect for human rights and human dignity in Afghanistan, where women and girls still face “systematic discrimination”.
The Taliban re-enacted a bomb attack on US forces in Paktia province as part of events marking the fifth anniversary of its return to power.
Local sources reported new clashes on Saturday, 15 August, between the Afghanistan Freedom Front and Taliban forces in Zebak district of Badakhshan.
As fighting intensifies in Nusay district of Badakhshan’s Darwaz area, the Afghanistan Freedom Front says it carried out a “pre-emptive” attack on Taliban positions in Zebak district.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told Afghanistan International that it is closely monitoring the situation in Badakhshan but does not yet have verified information on civilians in areas affected by the fighting.
A resident of Nusay district told Afghanistan International on Saturday that the military situation had intensified, with the Taliban imposing a night-time curfew and completely shutting down telecommunications networks.
Tajmir Jawad, the Taliban’s deputy intelligence chief, has acknowledged the presence of opportunistic individuals within the Taliban administration, saying their activities are being monitored and action will be taken against them.