Former UK Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood has called for engagement with the Taliban, warning that continued isolation of Afghanistan will only benefit groups such as Islamic State and expand China’s influence.
Taliban Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaei met security commanders from four security zones of Kabul after detaining Shia Muslims in his private prison, instructing them to maintain security, prevent disorder and enforce the orders of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected criticism that Berlin’s engagement with the Taliban amounts to normalising relations with the group. He said any cooperation is limited to technical matters and serves Germany’s national interests.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has released a video claiming responsibility for a rocket attack on Taliban positions in Laghman province.
A day after Taliban forces raided Tamadon TV’s headquarters in Kabul and halted its broadcasts, the channel said “unknown individuals” were removing equipment, assets and other property from its premises. The broadcaster did not identify those involved.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, downplayed reports about the Taliban’s planned 8,000-strong special border force, saying the matter is an internal Taliban decision. He said: “This is up to them.”
As the Taliban intensifies restrictions on Shia communities during Muharram, the group’s Security and Vetting Commission, chaired by Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, has held a meeting.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), marking International Day of Women in Diplomacy, stressed the need for the meaningful participation of Afghan women in public life and political decision-making.
Sources told Afghanistan International that Abdul Hakim Sharaei, the Taliban’s justice minister, released a number of detained Shia Muslims from his personal detention facility after receiving orders from the Taliban prime minister and interior minister.
Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said Taliban authorities have fulfilled their commitments on counter-narcotics efforts and have effectively eliminated drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan.
Kazakh media have reported that a Kazakh company plans to begin field operations for the exploration and development of chromium deposits in Afghanistan and may acquire a mine in the country.
Russian President’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told Izvestia that the main obstacle to Taliban participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the explicit opposition of one member state.
Zabihullah Amiri, the Taliban’s Director of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, told Afghanistan International that the group’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has established a high-level commission to address problems in the province.
The Taliban governor’s office in Daikundi has denied allegations that members of the group were involved in the killing of a former Afghan military officer in Shahristan district.
Qatar’s Embassy in Kabul has announced that it hosted a meeting on Afghanistan’s relations with the international community, bringing together representatives of UNAMA and the Taliban.
European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said talks with the Taliban in Brussels are focused on the return of Afghans convicted of serious crimes or considered security threats to European countries.
Tamadon TV in Afghanistan announced that Taliban forces shut down the network's broadcasts after raiding its headquarters in Kabul. Earlier, Tamadon TV reported that Taliban forces had stormed its offices and warned that its transmissions could soon be shut down..
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said it targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice personnel in Kabul on Monday evening.
A cross-party group of European and former Afghan lawmakers urged the European Union and its member states Tuesday not to host Taliban representatives for migration or deportation talks. They warned that official meetings would help legitimize the group’s rule in Afghanistan.
Belgium has announced that it has issued one-day visas to a five-member Taliban delegation to attend a European Union meeting on migration in Brussels.
Two sources within the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence have confirmed to Afghanistan International that the formation of a new 8,000-member special force known as the “Hibati Unit” is under way.