
Iran Warns US Return To Afghanistan Would Endanger Regional Stability
Iranian foreign minister warned Thursday that any re-establishment of US military bases in Afghanistan would pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Iranian foreign minister warned Thursday that any re-establishment of US military bases in Afghanistan would pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan said Thursday they oppose any US military return to Afghanistan, including the establishment of new bases in the country or its neighbourhood.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir met Thursday with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where the leaders discussed bilateral ties, regional security and counterterrorism.

President Donald Trump indicated he intends to make further remarks about Bagram airbase but gave no timetable for when he might do so.

A senior Qatari official said Doha is prepared to ensure the Taliban’s “constructive engagement” with the international community and to help address Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held the first meeting of its Contact Group on Afghanistan, convening in New York on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

Diplomatic and security sources from the UN and Europe have warned that Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) may exploit the mass deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan for its own purposes.

A senior Iranian lawmaker warned that if US forces return to Afghanistan’s Bagram air base, regional powers will escalate their confrontation with Washington and turn the base into a “graveyard for American soldiers.”

Taliban authorities in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar have banned residents from using smartphones after dark, locals said Thursday.

The United States is reviewing its policy on Afghanistan, with a focus on ensuring aid does not reach the Taliban, two senior State Department officials told Afghanistan International on Wednesday.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday told the UN General Assembly that inclusive development in Afghanistan is essential for long-term peace and stability across the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday invoked Afghanistan in his address to the UN General Assembly, saying the Taliban had “plunged the entire country into darkness.”

Internet services were restored in Balkh province after a 10-day shutdown, local sources told Afghanistan International on Wednesday.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has been frequently shifting his residences in Kandahar and this week cancelled his regular meeting with the Council of Ulema, sources told Afghanistan International.

Iranian authorities have barred civil society organisations from providing education to Afghan children, a move that has left many without access to schooling, Shargh daily reported Tuesday.

The Taliban shut down Wi-Fi services in Herat for a second consecutive night, residents and service providers said Wednesday, deepening concerns over growing restrictions on internet access across Afghanistan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged the Taliban to adopt an inclusive approach to governance and to respect human values, while calling on the international community not to abandon the Afghan people.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that Bagram air base belongs to Afghanistan and not to the United States or China, rejecting calls by US President Donald Trump for Washington to retake control of the facility.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake shook Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar on Tuesday afternoon, injuring at least 15 people and damaging homes, Taliban officials said.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has barred media outlets in Herat from broadcasting images of people or other living beings, local sources said Tuesday.

Pakistan’s imports from Afghanistan surged by 50 percent in August, even as its own exports to the neighbouring country declined, official data show.