The Taliban’s foreign ministry says it summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul over attacks by Pakistani forces on civilian targets along the border, including a university in Kunar, calling them a violation of Afghan airspace.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that dozens of civilians were killed and injured in Monday evening’s attacks on Asadabad in Kunar, without identifying the perpetrator, though local sources blame Pakistan.
The Taliban Justice Ministry says a new law on preachers has been published after approval by Hibatullah Akhundzada, requiring religious preachers to follow the Hanafi school of Islam.
Local residents in Kunar told Afghanistan International that Pakistani forces attacked Khas Kunar district with heavy weapons, forcing some civilians to flee their homes in fear of mortar strikes.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban fired mortars from Afghan territory at areas in Chaman and Bajaur in Pakistan overnight, killing at least one person and injuring another.
UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has appointed Bruno Georges Lemarquis as the new Deputy Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, where he will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and broadcasting on Monday denied reports it had attacked Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University and residential areas in Kunar. The ministry called the claims blatant lies and an attempt to win sympathy and conceal Taliban support for the TTP.
Sources at the Kunar hospital say Pakistani attacks on the Asadabad city and Sarkani District have killed 7 people and injured 75, including women and children.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that Pakistani forces fired mortars at several villages in Spin Boldak District on Sunday night. Sources say Taliban forces returned fire at Pakistani posts.
Mansour Bijar, the Iranian governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province visited Nimruz Province in Afghanistan and met Taliban officials, thanking them for releasing water to the Sistan region. He also met the Taliban governor of Nimruz.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban interior minister met Zhao Xing, Chinese ambassador in Kabul to discuss bilateral relations, the Taliban’s interior ministry said.
Salahuddin Salar, a Tajik commander and former deputy intelligence chief in the Taliban’s defence ministry, says they pledged allegiance “without seeing their leader” and did not fight for “ethnic supremacy”.
Several tribal elders in Kunar say that, following Pakistani artillery attacks and the evacuation of some villages, they have begun talks with elders in Bajaur to find a path towards a permanent ceasefire.
Taliban disaster management authority says at least 13 people have died and nine others were injured in the past 24 hours due to heavy rainfall and flooding across several provinces.
The UK home secretary has not ruled out returning rejected Afghan asylum seekers to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, saying the government is reviewing the issue and monitoring EU talks with the Taliban.
The Taliban have urged Afghan refugees facing possible relocation from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo to return home, saying no one faces security threats in Afghanistan.
Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has urged caution in relations with Pakistan, warning against letting personal grievances influence ties with neighbouring countries.
Barcelona’s city council has expressed concern over the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan, urging the international community to take urgent action to protect civilians and prevent further violence.
Deputy foreign ministers from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states met in Moscow to discuss multilateral cooperation and the situation in Afghanistan and the wider region.
Taliban officials say Tajik diplomats have met their governor in Badakhshan to discuss border security, economic ties and reopening a Tajikistan consulate.
Afghan political activists and experts have gathered in Ankara for talks on regional developments and Afghanistan’s role in a shifting geopolitical landscape.