The Taliban governor’s office in Kandahar says İbrahim Kalın, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation, met Mohammad Shirin Akhund, the Taliban governor of the province, on Wednesday.
Turkish security sources said on Thursday that intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın travelled to Pakistan after visiting Afghanistan. Turkish media said he discussed bilateral ties, regional security and Middle East tensions with senior Pakistani officials.
Qatar’s deputy national security adviser and his delegation met Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani to discuss bilateral relations and what the Taliban called improved engagement with the international community.
Australia’s Foreign Ministry says it is pursuing legal action with international partners, including Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, to hold the Taliban accountable for widespread violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Murtaza Solangi, spokesman for Pakistan’s president, says Zalmay Khalilzad should make clear as an American which side he stands on: the United States, which he served as ambassador in Kabul, or the Taliban, which the US overthrew after the 9/11 attacks.
Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid met Türkiye’s intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın and Qatar’s Deputy National Security Adviser Hamad bin Khamis Al-Kubaisi at his office in Kabul on Wednesday.
UNICEF has again called on the Taliban to lift all restrictions on education and allow every girl and woman in Afghanistan to return immediately to schools and universities.
The UN Security Council met in New York on Wednesday, 16 September, to discuss Afghanistan. Georgette Gagnon, acting head of UNAMA, presented the latest UN report on the country’s security, politics, human rights and economy.
İbrahim Kalın, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation, has travelled to Afghanistan and met senior Taliban officials in Kabul and Kandahar.
A new UN report on Afghanistan points to increased anti-Taliban attacks, continued clashes with Pakistan, ongoing human rights violations and a worsening economic situation.
Informed sources told Afghanistan International that senior security officials from Qatar and Turkey arrived in Kabul on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson says dozens of terrorist groups operating in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are training, arming and planning cross-border attacks.
On International Day of Democracy, assessments by major international organisations show that Afghanistan under Taliban rule ranks at the bottom of global democracy tables after a historic collapse in political and civil rights.
The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to review the situation in Afghanistan. Georgette Gagnon, acting head of UNAMA, is expected to brief council members on the latest developments in the country.
The Netherlands Filmfonds says “Paikar”, by Afghan filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi, has been selected as the Netherlands’ official submission for the Academy Awards.
Every day, Laila attends a classroom that is not supposed to be seen. She leaves home in the morning, goes to a school with no signboard and studies alongside girls who must remain hidden to continue their education.
The Hengaw human rights organisation says Iran has executed an Afghan prisoner at Zahedan Central Prison. It said the Iranian judiciary had sentenced him to death in a joint case with a Baloch man.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi spoke by phone with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev and asked Bishkek to support the Taliban at the UN Security Council. Kyrgyzstan will serve on the council in 2027–28.
The Haalvsh human rights organisation says at least 17 Afghan migrants, including women, men and children, died from severe thirst in the Mak Sookhteh area near the Rotak border zone in Saravan, Iran.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says former Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour sought talks with ISIS and instructed him to exchange messages by email with the group’s spokesman.
The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation has launched military exercises in south-eastern Kazakhstan, focusing on countering the possible infiltration of militant groups from Afghanistan into Central Asian countries.