In what seems like a retort, a top Iranian official questioned Zalmay Khalilzad’s Afghanistan policies and what good it did for the country when the latter took a stance on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Rights group, Rawadari, announced on Monday that the Taliban have “illegally and arbitrarily” arrested and detained at least 1,976 people in 29 provinces over the past fifteen months in Afghanistan. According to Rawadari, those arrested include 136 women and four children.
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) welcomed the visit of the UN delegation to Kabul to assess the situation of Afghan women. AIHRC urged the Taliban to end the restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan.
Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Baradar, announced the group’s readiness to form a special security unit for the TAPI project in Afghanistan. Baradar’s office stressed on maintaining the political, security, and economic well-being of the region.
Afghanistan International has obtained dozens of documents that show that the Pakistani embassy has rejected visa applications of Afghan citizens. These Afghan citizens have been waiting for months after filing a visa application with the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.
The high-ranking United Nations (UN) delegation published a statement on Friday which reveals new details about their messages to the Taliban. The UN official statement shows that the Taliban attributed false statements to the UN delegation over the past week.
According to official figures, Afghanistan is the biggest buyer of the Kazakhstan’s wheat. From July – November 2022, overall export of Kazakhstan’s wheat to other countries has been 880,000 tonnes of which 621,000 tonnes had been exported solely to Afghanistan.
Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that according to Moscow’s information the United States is seeking relations with anti-Taliban armed groups. In an interview with Russia 24 TV, Kabulov claimed that the US wants to avenge its "failure" in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and British Ambassador to Tashkent, Tim Torlot, on Friday discussed Afghanistan. Uzbekistan foreign ministry said that the two sides discussed biliteral relations and developments in Afghanistan.
In a new report, international rights group, Freedom House has highlighted how 90% of Afghan Human Rights Defenders have experienced violence or mistreatment ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan and they are on the run and still at high risk.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that 28.3 million people in Afghanistan will need life-saving aid in 2023. At the same time, the Taliban confirmed that 78 people have died due to severe cold in Afghanistan.
The foreign ministry of Russia announced that the country’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov’s recent visit was focused on the prospect of recognition of the Taliban. Kabulov visited Kabul on January 12 and 13, 2023, during which he met Taliban's foreign minister.
The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported that at least 50 children have died due to respiratory diseases in Baghlan province. According to Baghlan Hospital officials, in the past month, 1,000 children have been infected with respiratory diseases in the province.
Taliban’s deputy prime minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has said that the United Nations has not cooperated in recognising the group and accepting the group’s representative to the UN. Hanafi has also said that aid should not be linked to political issues in Afghanistan.
Khalil ur Rahman Haqqani, Taliban’s minister of refugees, said that the group is trying to find solutions to educate women in a way that is not "against Sharia". Haqqani added that unemployment of a few women should not deprive all Afghan women from humanitarian assistance.
Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, referred to Doha agreement and said that the group’s officials should no longer face sanctions. In a meeting with Amina Mohammed, Deputy UN Secretary General, Muttaqi, asked UN to find solutions for the Taliban leaders’ travel ban.
Taliban’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that nearly 10,000 drug addicts have been rounded up across Afghanistan. The Taliban-controlled Radio-Television of Afghanistan quoted the group’s deputy minister of Interior as saying that the ministry continues to round them up.
Taliban deputy prime minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, asked for continuation of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Hanafi stressed on distinction between political and humanitarian issues and added that aid should not be conditional.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees has announced that 2,477 Afghan citizens have returned to Afghanistan from Iran over the last two days. The ministry added that these Afghans entered Heart through the Islam Qala border crossing and will receive United Nations assistance.
Former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, has met with Amina Mohammed, Deputy UN Secretary General in Kabul. In the meeting, Karzai emphasised on the right to education and work for Afghan women and urged for a national dialogue to ensure peace and stability in the country.
The Taliban’s security and defense officials have discussed security regarding TAPI project in Kabul. The Turkmenistan gas transmission project from Afghanistan to Pakistan and India kicked off in 2016, but Taliban had been the main security threat to it.