Muttaqi Says Kabul’s Relations With World Countries Growing

The Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement that in the meeting Saeeduich said that Moscow is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan.

The acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that the current Afghan government has diplomatic ties with a number of countries, and that those relations are growing daily.

Muttaqi, who traveled to Russia to take part in the Moscow Format meeting, said that security in the nation is presently ensured and that world concerns have also been addressed.

“Diplomatic ties with numerous nations are very good and expanding day by day. The fact that Allah Almighty gave security to Afghanistan after 45 years, both Afghanistan itself and its neighbors now reached security,” Muttaqi noted.

Muttaqi in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin’s adviser, Ruslan Edelgeriyev, emphasized strengthening political and economic relations between the two countries and taking practical steps in the trade sector.

The Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement that in the meeting Saeeduich said that Moscow is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan.

“It is the duty of our embassy in Russia to facilitate businessmen so that we can achieve more in this field and bring Afghan products to Russia,” the acting foreign minister noted.

“The expansion of political, economic, commercial, and educational cooperation was highlighted in the conversation with the adviser to the Russian president, and it was believed that Afghanistan and Russia have common interests in the region, so it is necessary to develop cooperation in various fields,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy of the Ministry of Economy.

During his trip to Moscow, acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi also visited the Embassy of the Islamic Emirate in Russia.

Earlier, the Russian special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that the new Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan will take place on September 29 in Kazan.

Muttaqi Says Kabul’s Relations With World Countries Growing
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Pakistan PM Claims TTP Has Training Camps in Afghanistan

The caretaker prime minister of Pakistan further stated that despite some challenges in the relationship, it wants to engage with Afghans.

The caretaker prime minister of Pakistan, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, claimed that there are training camps for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview with media outlet The News Maker Kakar said that Pakistan has raised its concerns regarding terrorist groups on Afghan soil with the current government of Afghanistan.

“We are not here to judge the intentions of that de facto government. Yes, we have a concern because the groups like TTP they do reside on Afghan soil. We do raise such issues with them. There are training camps on their soil which is a point of concern for us,” Kakar added.

The caretaker prime minister of Pakistan further stated that despite some challenges in the relationship, it wants to engage with Afghans.

“I’m hopeful that we will engage with the Afghans despite some challenging times in our relationship, because it is in the common interest of both nations that such groups are eliminated from this region,” Kakar noted.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate spokesman, said that Afghan soil is not a threat to any country, and it wants to have good relations with all nations, including Pakistan.

“Afghanistan does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of any nation, it does not want its soil to be used against other countries, and we have good relations not only with Pakistan, but with all countries,” Mujahid added.

“Such statements by Pakistani officials harm the relations of both countries, and if they make such statements, they should provide documentation and proof that the TTP is in Afghanistan,” Javid Momand, a political analyst, said.

Last week, Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative of Afghanistan, led a delegation to Kabul to talk with officials of the Islamic Emirate officials regarding the challenges the two countries face.

Pakistan PM Claims TTP Has Training Camps in Afghanistan
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UN Security Council Holds Meeting on Afghanistan

He also called on the international community to increase support to the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.

The head of UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, in her briefing to the UN Security Council, said the policies of the current Afghan government that drive the exclusion of women are “unacceptable to the international community.”

UNAMA in a statement quoted Otunbayeva as saying that “UNAMA’s human rights efforts are focused on engaging and enabling the de facto authorities to establish an inclusive, responsive system of governance, including policing, that respects human rights norms and standards. It is time to support strengthened engagement with the relevant components of the de facto authorities through appropriate means to increase their knowledge and further compliance of law enforcement actions with international norms.”

Speaking to the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert A. Wood, voiced concerns over restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, saying:

“We urge the Taliban to roll back these restrictions and allow women and girls to have access to education which will enable their full, equal and meaningful participation in the society.”

He also called on the international community to increase support to the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.

“Now more than ever the international community must rally together and increase pledges and support to the humanitarian response,” Wood said.

The UK representative to the UN, speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, said: “Over two years since the Taliban seizure of power, our dominant concern remains the Taliban systematic assault on the rights of women and girls,” and “Afghanistan remains one of the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries in the world.

Its prospects further dimmed by a significant brain drain as a result of migration, persecution and uncertainty.” The UK representative added: “We know the progress the Taliban has made in tackling ISKP, and we underscore the importance of continued action against terrorist groups within Afghanistan.”

The UK representative said that the people of Afghanistan remain a priority for the UK.

The Russia representative to the UN, speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, said: “As we see, Afghanistan was a staging country for the breaking in of the American regional strategy, a place for the testing of various weapons, a place for laundering of billions of dollars…”

Th Russian representative noted: “Western countries have no concern about the Afghan people, including women and girls nor … about the unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”

UN Security Council Holds Meeting on Afghanistan
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Taliban weighs using U.S. mass surveillance plan, met with China’s Huawei

KABUL (Reuters) -The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban administration — which has publicly said it is focused on restoring security and clamping down on Islamic State, which has claimed many major attacks in Afghan cities — has also consulted with Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the spokesman said.

Preventing attacks by international militant groups – including prominent organisations such as Islamic State – is at the heart of the interaction between the Taliban and many foreign nations, including the U.S. and China, according to readouts from those meetings. But some analysts question the cash-strapped regime’s ability to fund the program, and rights groups have expressed concern that any resources will be used to crackdown on protesters.

Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported.

The mass camera rollout, which will involve a focus on “important points” in Kabul and elsewhere, is part of a new security strategy that will take four years to be fully implemented, Ministry of Interior spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told Reuters.

“At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time,” he said. “We already have two maps, one which was made by U.S.A for the previous government and second by Turkey.”

He did not detail when the Turkish plan was made.

A U.S State Department spokesperson said Washington was not “partnering” with the Taliban and has “made clear to the Taliban that it is their responsibility to ensure that they give no safe haven to terrorists.”

A Turkish government spokesperson didn’t return a request for comment.

Qani said the Taliban had a “simple chat” about the potential network with Huawei in August, but no contracts or firm plans had been reached.

Bloomberg News reported in August that Huawei had reached “verbal agreement” with the Taliban about a contract to install a surveillance system, citing a person familiar with the discussions.

Huawei told Reuters in September that “no plan was discussed” during the meeting.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she was not aware of specific discussions but added: “China has always supported the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan and supported Chinese enterprises to carry out relevant practical cooperation.”

ELECTRICITY CUTS, RIGHTS CONCERNS

There are over 62,000 cameras in Kabul and other cities that are monitored from a central control room, according to the Taliban. The last major update to Kabul’s camera system occurred in 2008, according to the former government, which relied heavily on Western-led international forces for security.

When NATO-led international forces were gradually withdrawing in January 2021, then-vice president Amrullah Saleh said his government would roll out a huge upgrade of Kabul’s camera surveillance system. He told reporters the $100 million plan was backed by the NATO coalition.

“The arrangement we had planned in early 2021 was different,” Saleh told Reuters in September, adding that the “infrastructure” for the 2021 plan had been destroyed.

It was not clear if the plan Saleh referenced was similar to the ones that the Taliban say they have obtained, nor if the administration would modify them.

Jonathan Schroden, an expert on Afghanistan with the Center for Naval Analyses, said a surveillance system would be “useful for the Taliban as it seeks to prevent groups like the Islamic State … from attacking Taliban members or government positions in Kabul.”

The Taliban already closely monitor urban centres with security force vehicles and regular checkpoints.

Rights advocates and opponents of the regime are concerned enhanced surveillance might target civil society members and protesters.

Though the Taliban rarely confirm arrests, the Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 64 journalists have been detained since the takeover. Protests against restrictions on women in Kabul have been broken up forcefully by security forces, according to protesters, videos and Reuters witnesses.

Implementing a mass surveillance system “under the guise of ‘national security’ sets a template for the Taliban to continue its draconian policies that violate fundamental rights,” said Matt Mahmoudi from Amnesty International.

The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. Qani said the system was comparable with what other major cities utilize and that it would be operated in line with Islamic Sharia law, which prevents recording in private spaces.

The plan faces practical challenges, security analysts say.

Intermittent daily power cuts in Afghanistan mean cameras connected to the central grid are unlikely to provide consistent feeds. Only 40% of Afghans have access to electricity, according to the state-owned power provider.

The Taliban also have to find funding after a massive economic contraction and the withdrawal of much aid following their takeover.

The administration said in 2022 that it has an annual budget of over $2 billion, of which defence spending is the largest component, according to the Taliban army chief.

MILITANCY RISKS

The discussion with Huawei occurred several months after China met with Pakistan and the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, after which the parties stressed cooperation on counter-terrorism. Tackling militancy is also a key aspect of the 2020 troop-withdrawal deal the United States struck with the Taliban.

China has publicly declared its concern over the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an armed separatist organisation in its western Xinjiang region. Security officials and U.N. reports say ETIM likely has a small number of fighters in Afghanistan. ETIM couldn’t be reached for comment.

The Islamic State has also threatened foreigners in Afghanistan. Its fighters attacked a hotel popular with Chinese businesspeople last year, which left several Chinese citizens wounded. A Russian diplomat was also killed in one of its attacks.

The Taliban denies that militancy threatens their rule and say Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks elsewhere. They have publicly announced raids on Islamic State cells in Kabul.

“Since early 2023, Taliban raids in Afghanistan have removed at least eight key (Islamic State in Afghanistan) leaders, some responsible for external plotting,” said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West at a Sept. 12 public seminar.

A July U.N. monitoring report said there were up to 6,000 Islamic State fighters and their family members in Afghanistan. Analysts say urban surveillance will not fully address their presence.

The Afghan “home base” locations of Islamic State fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said Schroden. “So while cameras in the cities may help prevent attacks … they’re unlikely to contribute much to their ultimate defeat.”

Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay in Washington, David Kirton in Shenzhen, Liz Lee in Beijing, and Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Katerina Ang

Taliban weighs using U.S. mass surveillance plan, met with China’s Huawei
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Formation of Ulema Council Completed for All Provinces: Mujahid

The Islamic Emirate’s Spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the formation of the councils of Ulema (religious scholars) for all provinces have been completed.

The Ulema councils have been appointed by the Islamic Emirate’s leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Mujahid said that the councils are established to increase coordination between the people and the interim government. He said the councils are composed of religious clerics and also some tribal elders.

“It has been two days since the councils have been completed. The latest council was the council of Ulema for Logar province. The councils are important. They will work as a hub between the people and government,” Mujahid said.

He said the councils are comprised of religious clerics and some tribal elders.

“The formation of the Ulema council has differences in various provinces. In some areas, there are tribal elders and also the Ulema. But in some areas, if there are no tribal elders, it does not mean that they will not be included. But their numbers will increase as there are some names under assessment,” Mujahid said.

Political analysts gave various opinions regarding the formation of the Ulema council.

“The influential tribal figures should be included in it. It will have a positive impact on solving the issue and managing affairs,” said Habibullah Janibdar, a political analyst.

“The line of their duty should be announced nationwide, so the citizens understand what the difference is between the duty of the Ulema council and the Ministry of Vice and Virtue and other departments,” said Mohammad Afzal Habib Safi, a political analyst.

Earlier, Mujahid said that the councils will share their views regarding women’s work and activities in the government, based on Sharia.

The Islamic Emirate’s leader ordered the establishment of Ulema councils in Jadi in 1401 (solar year).

Formation of Ulema Council Completed for All Provinces: Mujahid
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Qatar Emphasizes Need for World’s Engagement with Afghanistan

The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar said that his country is working to mediate in Afghanistan and the rest of the world.

Majed Al-Ansari, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, said that the complete isolation of Afghanistan did not work, and the only way forward is engagement.

Speaking to Al-Monitor news agency Al-Ansari said: “We fully understand that the situation in Afghanistan today is not easy for the international community to engage with the current government, but complete isolation is not the situation, it didn’t work, it will not work” and “the only way forward is engagement.”

The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar said that his country is working to mediate in Afghanistan and the rest of the world.

“Afghanistan is a very important topic for Qatar. We are highly invested in that issue. We are working in mediating between Afghanistan and the rest of the world basically. So, a lot of things to be done,” he said.

Some political analysts said Qatar’s role is important for resolving the current situation of Afghanistan.

“The issue of China and Taiwan is a problem, and a mediator is needed. The issue of Saudi Arabia and Iran has a problem, and a mediator is needed, similarly, Afghanistan’s position from a political and economic point of view and the challenges that Afghanistan’s politics face, it needs a mediator,” said Sayed Qaribullah Sadat, a political analyst.

“Qatar can both pave the way and become a good mediator in the current situation, because the political journey of the Islamic Emirate started from Qatar,” said Mohammad Ajmal Zurmati, a political analyst.

Majed Al-Ansari also said that in the meeting between Qatar’s Foreign Minister and the leader of the Islamic Emirate, various issues were discussed, including women’s right to work and education.

Qatar Emphasizes Need for World’s Engagement with Afghanistan
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Muttaqi Travels to Russia To Participate in Moscow Format Meeting

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told TOLOnews that this meeting will cover a range of political and economic topics.

A delegation from the Islamic Emirate led by the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi went to Russia on Monday to participate in the Moscow Format meeting.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told TOLOnews that this meeting will cover a range of political and economic topics.

“Regional cooperation is crucial for Afghanistan’s economy and security. There are also some concerns from neighboring countries, which will be discussed, and that Afghanistan is safe. Economic issues relating to Afghanistan’s reconstruction will be discussed,” said Mujahid.

The Moscow Format meeting will be held September 29, in Kazan, Russia.

According to political analysts, the presence of a representative of the Islamic Emirate in this meeting is important for solving the country’s current challenges.

“The differences between the two sides will be resolved through understanding, but one thing should be taken into account, that currently, every country wants to include the issue of Afghanistan in its agenda,” said Aminullah Ihsas, a university lecturer.

“The most important thing is that practical decisions should be made in these meetings and the recognition of the Islamic Emirate should be discussed,” said Abdul Ghafar Kamiyab, a political analyst.

Earlier, the Russian special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that Muttaqi was invited to this meeting.

Muttaqi Travels to Russia To Participate in Moscow Format Meeting
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Pentagon to revisit Kabul airport bombing with new witness interviews

Facing renewed scrutiny, U.S. military officials said Friday that they will interview nearly 20 service members wounded two years ago in a catastrophic bombing as the Biden administration raced to leave Afghanistan, firsthand witnesses who investigators never consulted but whose public accounts have cast doubt on the Pentagon’s determination that the attack was “not preventable.”

Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, who oversees U.S. Central Command, ordered the additional interviews “to ensure we do our due diligence” with information that came to light after the military closed its investigation of the incident, Michael Lawhorn, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement. By itself, the move does not formally reopen the investigation, completed in November 2021, but the general could determine that doing so is necessary once the additional interviews are complete.

Kurilla, the statement says, wants to ensure that “relevant voices are fully heard and that we take those accounts and examine them seriously and thoroughly so the facts are laid bare.”

His decision follows complaints from congressional Republicans and the families of those killed, who have demanded deeper scrutiny of the precautions taken by U.S. commanders and other government officials after they warned publicly that the Islamic State’s local affiliate was plotting an attack.

An estimated 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops died in the bombing, which occurred the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2021, as thousands of civilians, desperate to escape the incoming Taliban regime, amassed outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport in a frantic bid to board one of the evacuation flights. Three days later, a U.S. drone strike killed 10 civilians, including seven children, in a botched operation that senior U.S. officials initially called a “righteous” attack on a suspected ISIS suicide bomber preparing to hit the airport again.

Those twin calamities in Afghanistan remain a low point in the Biden presidency, and House Republicans have spent much of the past year interrogating the actions by key members of his administration before, during and after a decision was reached to follow through with the complete withdrawal of American personnel. The president and his top advisers, convinced the war was unwinnable and that withdrawing was the right decision, have cast blame on his predecessor, Donald Trump, who negotiated the deal with the Taliban to leave Afghanistan by spring 2021.

Central Command, in Lawhorn’s statement, singled out the account of Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a Marine sergeant who lost an arm and a leg in the attack on the airport’s Abbey Gate. Vargas-Andrews first told The Washington Post, in an interview published in August 2022, that he believed he had the bomber in his gunsights before the explosion but that commanders rejected his request to fire on the suspect.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people died,” because of the decision to stand down, he told The Post last year. “That’s a hard thing to deal with. You know, that’s something that, honestly, eats at me every single day.”

Through tears, Vargas-Andrews repeated those claims under oath during an emotional congressional hearing this past March. Last month, the families of several service members killed in the attack appeared on Capitol Hill to call for more transparency and accountability.

Vargas-Andrews and other U.S. troops present during the airport attack also dispute the U.S. military’s conclusion that, despite some service members’ assertions, there was no evidence that gunmen opened fire on them after the blast. Officials concluded that personnel who recalled gunfire may have been disoriented by the explosion, angering survivors.

Vargas-Andrews, a former sniper, said both in his 2022 interview with The Post and in his testimony months later to the House Foreign Affairs Committee that he was told by superiors that too many civilians were nearby when he spotted the suspected bomber. The Post could not determine if the man he identified was in fact the bomber, or whether an attempt by U.S. forces to kill him could have triggered the explosion or some other form of carnage.

The top commander at Central Command during the evacuation, Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told The Post last year that no request to engage a suspected suicide bomber reached his level or surfaced during the military’s investigation. More than 130 people were interviewed as part of the inquiry.

In his congressional testimony in March, Vargas-Andrews called the withdrawal “a catastrophe,” telling lawmakers that, to date, there had been “an inexcusable lack of accountability” for the extreme loss of life. Having determined the attack was unpreventable, U.S. officials never took punitive action against anyone in a position of authority when the operation occurred.

Lawhorn said Vargas-Andrews’s appearance on Capitol Hill compelled Kurilla in June to task a subordinate, Lt. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, with reviewing public testimony to determine whether it contained new information not considered in the 2021 investigation.

Frank completed his review last month. He found that Vargas-Andrews and other wounded service members were not interviewed because they required “immediate medical evacuation in the aftermath of the attack,” Lawhorn said. The interviews will begin in coming days, with Kurilla requesting another update from Frank within 90 days.

Matthew Langston, a former Marine corporal who participated in the evacuation, said in a statement that the decision to revisit the bombing is “purely reactionary,” and attributed it to pressure from the families who lost loved ones in the attack.

“All we’ve heard are lies,” he said. “They aren’t concerned with our feelings, or what we want. They simply don’t want to hear our voices anymore.”

Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, connected the development with their investigative efforts. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that “We will seek answers and accountability for this debacle.”

The U.S. personnel killed in the bombing were: Marine Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20; Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23; Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31; Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23; Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22; Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20; Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20; Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20; Marine Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23; Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario, 25; Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22; Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20; and Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak, 22.

The attack’s suspected mastermind was killed by the Taliban earlier this year, U.S. officials disclosed in April.

Late last month, the families of those killed spoke during an event on Capitol Hill convened by Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-Tex.), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee. Many became emotional as they expressed frustration with what they characterized as a dearth of information about what happened and whether the bombing might have been prevented.

Hoover’s father, Darin, read from notecards, slowly and with a measure of outrage. He said he had “talked a couple of times with some special operators that were in theater” at the time and that they “tell the story a little differently” than the military’s official account.

Referencing the uneasy agreement struck by U.S. officials with the Taliban to provide security on the approach to the airport, Hoover questioned why, despite 20 years of distrust and bloodshed, anyone thought that was a good idea. Then, citing the errant drone strike three days later, he asked why no one ordered an attack on the airport plotters if the United States had intelligence warning of the bombing.

“Our snipers can’t do anything about it when they see him?” Hoover asked lawmakers, exasperated. “Are we more worried about pissing off the Taliban? Why is that a bad thing?”

Nikoui’s father, Steve, also alluded to Vargas-Andrews’s earlier accounts. The Marine, he said, had watched the suspected bomber since “early in the morning,” and “continuously asked for engagement authority” to shoot him.

Pentagon to revisit Kabul airport bombing with new witness interviews
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Taliban Pledge To ‘Neutralize’ Activities of Afghan-Based Pakistani Militants

FILE - Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban, speaking in Islamabad, May 8, 2023. (VOA)
FILE – Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban, speaking in Islamabad, May 8, 2023. (VOA)

Afghanistan’s Taliban have pledged “concrete steps” to “neutralize” activities of militants plotting terrorist attacks against neighboring Pakistan, diplomatic sources told VOA on Friday.

The assurance was given in a bilateral meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi hosted Thursday with a high-level Pakistani delegation in Kabul, the sources privy to the talks said.

Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan, led the delegation including senior military officials, among others. The visit came amid an upsurge in deadly attacks against security forces in Pakistan.

The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, has claimed responsibility for much of the violence. Islamabad maintains TTP leaders and fighters sheltering in Afghanistan have intensified cross-border attacks since the Taliban reclaimed power in Kabul two years ago.

Hundreds of Pakistani police and soldiers have died in almost daily TTP attacks in the last year.

The sources told VOA that “the emphasis” of Thursday’s talks was on the TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban. “The Afghan side was told that the TTP’s use of Afghan territory against Pakistan has been a serious concern” for Islamabad.

The Kabul authorities “assured concrete steps to neutralize TTP activities,” the sources added, without elaborating.

The meeting also decided to hold “regular consultations” to review the security situation along the nearly 2,600-kilometer border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

While Pakistani officials have not released any details of the talks, Muttaqi’s office quoted him as stressing the need for both countries to refrain from making public statements that fuel mutual mistrust.

“No one will be allowed to spoil the relations between the two countries,” the Taliban chief diplomat said. The statement on X, formerly Twitter, did not mention the TTP, nor did it refer to Kabul’s alleged pledge about curbing the group’s activities.

The Taliban deny allegations they are allowing anyone to use Afghan soil to threaten other countries.

Pakistani officials have previously claimed they shared with Taliban authorities “video evidence” and bodies of suspected Afghan Taliban fighters who joined TTP militants in recent high-profile “terrorist” attacks and were killed by security forces.

The United States has designated the TTP a global terrorist organization.

The group’s leadership has publicly pledged allegiance to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban. The TTP emerged in Pakistani border areas in 2007 and fought alongside the Taliban against U.S.-led NATO troops in Afghanistan.

“The group posing the greatest threat to the region’s stability is the TTP. We have seen a very significant increase in attacks directed at Pakistan,” Tom West, the U.S. special representative on Afghanistan, told a seminar in Washington last week.

“They [the TTP] became allies of the Taliban during the war. They were financial supporters, logistical supporters, and operational allies as well. I think the ties between them are quite tight,” West said.

All American and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, just days after the then-Taliban insurgents took control of the country, ending nearly 20 years of U.S. involvement in the Afghan war.

Taliban Pledge To ‘Neutralize’ Activities of Afghan-Based Pakistani Militants
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Saudi Arabia FM: Peace and Stability in Afghanistan is Important

He also stressed the need to respect the rights of Afghan people, including the rights of women to education and work.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that Saudi Arabia reaffirms the importance of security and stability in Afghanistan and that it should not serve as a safe place for terrorist organizations.

He also stressed the need to respect the rights of Afghan people, including the rights of women to education and work.

The Saudi foreign minister meanwhile called for international efforts to revive humanitarian and economic aid to alleviate the suffering of the people of Afghanistan.

Addressing the same Debate, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway, argued that engagement with the “de facto” authorities in Afghanistan is “worth the attempt” to help with the situation of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

“In Afghanistan, we engage with the de facto authorities in Kabul. If this can help to address the dire humanitarian situation, especially for women and girls, who are being deprived of education in the future, it is worth the attempt,” she said.

Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told the assembly that a collective responsibility is also needed for the people of Palestine and Afghanistan.

“In Afghanistan, Indonesia will do its utmost to help the Afghan people and ensure the rights of women and girls are respected including their rights to education,” she said.

But the Islamic Emirate said that the rights of women are observed in the country and that Afghanistan is not a place for terrorist groups.

“Afghanistan is a safe place. There is no foreign group here. The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use the Afghan soil against others. The stance of the Islamic Emirate is pretty clear in this regard,’ he said.

The concerns about the situation in Afghanistan were raised in the UN General Assembly and its debate at a time, while the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken of the Moscow Format to be held within the next five days.

Saudi Arabia FM: Peace and Stability in Afghanistan is Important
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