WFP: Funding shortage limits aid to half of Afghanistan’s hungry this winter

The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that due to a lack of funding, it can only provide aid to 7 million out of the 14 million hungry people in Afghanistan.

Pauline Eloff, the head of the emergency department at the WFP, wrote on X/Twitter on Thursday, January 2, that for every two families in need of food assistance, the organization can only help one.

The organization added that many families in remote areas of Afghanistan will need food assistance to survive the cold season.

The WFP clarified that to support those in need in these remote regions, it has already sent essential food supplies to some villages months in advance.

According to the WFP, it will be impossible for some families in these areas to survive the winter without the food aid provided by the organization.

The WFP has urged both countries and partner organizations to assist in supporting the people in need in Afghanistan during the cold season.

Earlier, on December 18, the WFP reported that nearly 15 million people in Afghanistan did not know where their next meal would come from. At that time, the organization emphasized that it needed $718 million for its ongoing efforts in Afghanistan for the next six months.

Additionally, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had previously stated that at least 23 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance.

As Afghanistan faces deepening food insecurity, the international community’s support is becoming more crucial. The WFP’s call for financial help underscores the dire need for global collaboration to prevent further human suffering in the country. Without additional aid, the humanitarian situation could worsen, with the ongoing winter exacerbating the challenges faced by millions.

WFP: Funding shortage limits aid to half of Afghanistan’s hungry this winter
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Islamic Emirate, Pakistani Forces Clash in Khost

Initially, Pakistani forces targeted the Alisher district of Khost with rocket attacks, and then the forces of the Islamic Emirate responded to these attacks.

Military clashes between the forces of the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan in Khost province ended this morning (Friday, January 3) after several hours.

According to local residents, the clashes began at 1:30 AM last night and continued until 5:00 AM.

Initially, Pakistani forces targeted the Alisher district of Khost with rocket attacks, and then the forces of the Islamic Emirate responded to these attacks.

The Islamic Emirate has announced that the clashes caused no casualties.

Some residents of Khost province have also criticized Pakistan’s attack on the Ali Sher district.

“Last night, at 1:30 AM, Pakistan launched rocket attacks, which Afghan forces defended against, and the clashes continued until 5:00 AM,” said Hakeemullah, a resident of Khost.

“As a result of these clashes, people face numerous problems. Poor and impoverished individuals cannot afford transportation to the villages,” said Dawlat Khan, another resident of Khost.

Verbal tensions and military clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan are not new and have also occurred in the past.

The issue of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has often overshadowed relations between the two sides.

Meanwhile, political and military analysts believe Pakistan should resolve its issues with Afghanistan through diplomacy rather than confrontation.

“Pakistan is a close neighbor of Afghanistan, and it is necessary for this country to understand Afghanistan’s current situation. Issues should be resolved through political, economic, and transit avenues via diplomatic channels,” said Hadi Quraishi, a military analyst.

“These acts of violence and attacks yield no good results and bring nothing but hatred between the two nations,” said Aziz Maarej, a former diplomat.

It is worth mentioning that on December 25, 2024, Pakistan carried out airstrikes on parts of the Barmal district in Paktika province, which resulted in the deaths of over fifty local residents, including women and children.

Islamic Emirate, Pakistani Forces Clash in Khost
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Islamic Emirate Reacts to ICG’s Report on Afghanistan

The Ministry of Economy said that the sanctions imposed by the world over the past three years have been unfair and should be lifted as soon as possible.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) stated that some countries refrained from negotiating with the Islamic Emirate in a way to promote women’s rights and other international norms, apparently to see if the interim government leaders independently take such actions.

In its report, the group noted that after the Islamic Emirate’s takeover in Afghanistan, the country was subjected to sanctions and economic and diplomatic restrictions, exacerbating poverty in Afghanistan.

Part of the International Crisis Group’s report reads: “Most countries declined to negotiate with the Taliban in a way that might have promoted women’s rights and other international norms, choosing instead to wait and see whether Afghanistan’s new leaders would do so on their own.”

“Neglect by neighboring, regional, and trans-regional countries occurred. Instead of engaging in understanding with the Islamic Emirate and resolving issues through dialogue, they acted contrary to that. According to the Crisis Group, Afghanistan was left alone, and in fact, the people of Afghanistan were abandoned in these conditions,” said Mohammad Yasin Habib, a political analyst.

In response to this report, the Islamic Emirate stated that the country’s internal matters are based on domestic values, cultures, and priorities, and other countries should not interfere in internal affairs or use them as a tool for recognition.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said: “The internal issues of the country belong to the nation, and they must find solutions within the country themselves. External countries should not interfere so deeply in a country’s internal matters that they impose conditions.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy said that the sanctions imposed by the world over the past three years have been unfair and should be lifted as soon as possible.

Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, stated: “We ask countries not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country. Instead of interference, they should focus on cooperation in various fields, including economic issues, and we welcome the economic cooperation of countries.”

Earlier, the International Crisis Group had also reported that some regional countries, ignoring the protection of human rights in Afghanistan, were engaging with the interim government to achieve their interests.

Islamic Emirate Reacts to ICG’s Report on Afghanistan
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Tensions Escalate After Pakistan Pounds Afghanistan With Airstrikes

Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan

The New York Times

Pakistani leaders were once friends of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, cross-border violence has become alarmingly frequent.

Airstrikes by Pakistani warplanes inside Afghanistan have intensified tensions in recent days in an already volatile region. Once-close ties between Pakistan’s leaders and the Afghan Taliban have frayed, and violent cross-border exchanges have become alarmingly frequent.

Officially, the Pakistani government has been tight-lipped about the strikes in Afghanistan on Dec. 24. But security officials privately said that the Pakistani military had targeted hide-outs of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant group also known as the T.T.P. or the Pakistani Taliban that has carried out a series of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.

The security officials said that several top militants from the Pakistani Taliban had died in the airstrikes, which came days after 16 Pakistani military personnel were ambushed and killed in a border district.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan said that dozens of civilians had died in the strikes, including Pakistani refugee families. The group condemned the strikes as a blatant violation of Afghan sovereignty, and said it had retaliated by conducting attacks on “several points” inside Pakistan.

The airstrikes were the Pakistani military’s third major operation on Afghan soil since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, and the second in the past year alone.

Pakistani officials accuse the Taliban of providing sanctuary to the T.T.P., a charge that Taliban leaders deny. Pakistani officials defend the incursions into Afghanistan as essential to curbing T.T.P. attacks on Pakistani citizens and soldiers, as well as on Chinese nationals involved in projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s infrastructure investment program.

“This is a red line for us: If the T.T.P. operates from there, it is not acceptable for us,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan said on Friday during a meeting with government ministers, referring to Afghanistan. “We will defend Pakistan’s sovereignty at every cost.”

The Pakistani and Afghan governments, facing deep challenges at home, have ample reason not to let the tensions spiral into broader conflict. But the surge in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban as they wage a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state has put immense pressure on leaders in both countries, said Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, a former senior police officer who served in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s government must show its people that it will respond to attacks, even as the country faces multiple crises that hinder its fight against terrorism, including weak governance and economic constraints.

After a Pakistani Taliban attack on a border post in September 2023, Pakistan launched a crackdown on undocumented Afghans, deporting over 800,000 people to Afghanistan. Pakistan also tightened trade restrictions on landlocked Afghanistan to pressure the Taliban.

For their part, the Taliban are caught between Pakistan’s demands to take action against the T.T.P. and strong domestic incentives not to do so.

By resisting the entreaties of a more powerful neighbor, the Taliban stoke nationalist sentiments among Afghans, helping the group project an image as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers rather than as the insurgents they once were, Mr. Shah said.

The Taliban may also fear that a crackdown on the T.T.P. — with which they share jihadist beliefs and deeply rooted bonds — could divide the militant group’s ranks. That could push fighters toward the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K, which poses a growing threat to the Taliban administration.

Pakistan’s frustrations with the Taliban represent a sharp turnabout. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan three years ago, Pakistan initially considered it a strategic victory.

The U.S. withdrawal precipitated the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s administration in Kabul, which the Pakistani government had seen as supportive of India, Pakistan’s archrival.

In addition, Pakistan was optimistic that the new Taliban regime would rein in the T.T.P. Those hopes rested on the notion that the Taliban would reward Pakistan for the covert support it provided during the U.S.-led war.

But the Taliban’s rise instead revitalized the militant group, which has about 6,000 fighters. The Pakistani Taliban capitalized on newfound resources, including advanced U.S.-made weapons seized during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and the release of hundreds of fighters from Afghan prisons.

Emboldened, the group escalated its attacks inside Pakistan, targeting security and police forces in particular. The year that just ended was the deadliest in a decade for Pakistani civilians and security forces, with 1,612 fatalities in 444 terrorist attacks, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, a research group in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Experts said that Pakistan had made a strategic miscalculation with the Taliban.

“Expectation is not a strategy,” said Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. A clear, written agreement, Mr. Basit said, “should have been established with the Taliban regarding the T.T.P. from the outset.”

The two countries have taken some steps to try to improve relations. On the same day as the latest airstrikes, a newly appointed Pakistani special envoy, Mohammad Sadiq, was meeting in Kabul with top Taliban officials, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The Taliban have also been addressing Pakistan’s concerns by resettling some T.T.P. militants in central Afghanistan, distancing them from the border region.

In Pakistan, antipathy toward the Pakistani Taliban has run especially deep since 2014, when the group killed more than 145 people, mostly children, in an attack on a military-run school in northwestern Pakistan.

military crackdown that Pakistan intensified after the school attack drove many Pakistani Taliban leaders and members, along with ordinary displaced families, into Paktika Province in eastern Afghanistan. That province is where the Pakistani military focused its airstrikes last week.

Pakistan has been linked to several operations in Paktika and neighboring Afghan provinces in recent years in which key T.T.P. militants were killed. Among them was Omar Khalid Khorasani, a top commander, who died in a roadside bombing in 2022.

The Pakistani Taliban attacks have provided fuel in the political infighting that has racked Pakistan in recent years.

The Pakistani military has sharply criticized a key decision during the tenure of Imran Khan, the former prime minister who was ousted in April 2022 after falling out with the military and now is in prison.

In 2021, Pakistani officials engaged in peace talks with the T.T.P. that were facilitated by the Taliban after their return to power. The yearlong negotiations, which included a brief cease-fire, ultimately failed.

Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, a military spokesman, condemned the initiative as a “misguided approach” that allowed Pakistani Taliban fighters to resettle and regroup in Pakistan. “Our soldiers are now paying the price of that wrong decision with their blood,” General Chaudhry told reporters on Friday.

Mr. Khan’s party, however, argues that the talks were initiated by the military chief at the time, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, not the civilian government.

As the fight against the Pakistani Taliban becomes fodder for political squabbling, residents in conflict-ridden border areas in Pakistan express frustration about the escalating insecurity.

“These airstrikes and border skirmishes distract from the real issue — the failure of both Pakistan and the Taliban to provide basic security and relief,” said Azam Mehsud, a 31-year-old student from South Waziristan, a border district.

“Instead of addressing the root causes of violence, both sides are covering up their failures, leaving civilians to suffer,” Mr. Mehsud added.

Tensions Escalate After Pakistan Pounds Afghanistan With Airstrikes
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Islamic Emirate Denies Allegations of Requesting Money from Pakistan

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, stated that the Islamic Emirate has made no such request of Pakistan.

The Islamic Emirate has called the claims made by Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif regarding a request for money from Pakistan regrettable.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, stated that the Islamic Emirate has made no such request of Pakistan.

In response to these allegations, Fitrat added: “We reject this claim. The Islamic Emirate has not made such a request to Pakistan. It is regrettable that senior officials of Pakistan, for reasons unknown to us, have made such claims.”

Pakistan’s Defense Minister, in an interview with Geo News, claimed that the Islamic Emirate had requested 10 billion Pakistani rupees to remove the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from the areas near the Durand Line.

Khawaja Asif told the Pakistani media: “In a meeting attended by Mullah Yaqoob, acting Defense Minister of Afghanistan, Sirajuddin Haqqani, acting Interior Minister, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Foreign Minister, we discussed the TTP and urged them to stop TTP’s attacks in Pakistan. Otherwise, we will be forced to act. Mullah Yaqoob, in response, asked for billions of rupees for the relocation of TTP members to western regions of Afghanistan but remained silent when we questioned whether there was a guarantee that they wouldn’t resume their activities from there.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Pakistan’s recent airstrikes on Afghanistan have strained relations between the two sides.

The New York Times report reads: “Once-close ties between Pakistan’s leaders and the Afghan Taliban have frayed, and violent cross-border exchanges have become alarmingly frequent.”

“I hope neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Tajikistan, and the Iranian authorities, have realized that a politically and economically stable Afghanistan can play a better role in ensuring global security,” Zalmai Afghanyar, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

Earlier, Pakistan accused the Islamic Emirate of harboring and supporting the TTP and being involved in Pakistan’s insecurity—allegations that Kabul has consistently denied. In response to Pakistani officials, the Islamic Emirate has maintained that security issues in Pakistan are the responsibility of its government, not the Islamic Emirate.

Islamic Emirate Denies Allegations of Requesting Money from Pakistan
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300 people arrested in Afghanistan for human trafficking charges

Khaama Press

The Ministry of Interior of the Taliban-run government announced that around 300 people, including several women, have been arrested and punished for human trafficking.

Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated on Monday, December 30, that a four-year strategy has been developed to combat human trafficking.

He emphasized that most human traffickers are based outside Afghanistan, and their information has been shared with the governments of Iran and Pakistan.

Last week, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree instructing government agencies to fight human trafficking in Afghanistan.

According to the decree, human traffickers will be identified, arrested, and sentenced to one to three years in prison.

He also instructed other ministries, such as the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Culture, to raise public awareness about the dangers and consequences of human trafficking.

However, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently reported that human trafficking globally has increased by 14% in 2024. The organization cited poverty, war, and climate change as primary factors driving the rise in human trafficking worldwide.

Afghanistan, along with Syria, remains one of the largest sources of refugees, with many fleeing the dire humanitarian conditions exacerbated by conflict and economic collapse. Additionally, the forced deportation of Afghan refugees by neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan continues, further straining the already vulnerable population.

300 people arrested in Afghanistan for human trafficking charges
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UN official criticizes Taliban’s recent decision: “The chosen path is wrong”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged the Taliban to revoke all discriminatory orders against Afghanistan’s women. Volker Turk called the recent Taliban warning regarding the termination of NGO licenses for employing women an “absolute mistake.”

In a letter on Tuesday, Turk expressed deep concern about the Taliban’s warning to NGOs regarding the employment of women. He stated that the path the Taliban has chosen is completely wrong.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the situation in Afghanistan as dire, noting that more than half of the population is living in poverty.

According to Turk, NGOs play a crucial role in providing life-saving assistance to women, men, girls, and boys in Afghanistan. He warned that the Taliban’s new directive would directly impact access to humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan.

The UN High Commissioner called on the Taliban to revoke this deeply discriminatory order and all other actions that eliminate women’s and girls’ access to education, employment, public services, including healthcare, and their freedom of movement.

In his letter, Volker Turk emphasized that no country can make political, economic, or social progress by excluding half of its population from public life.

Volker Turk further urged the Taliban to change its course for the future of Afghanistan, stressing that the current approach is detrimental to the nation’s progress. He emphasized that any lasting improvement in Afghanistan requires full participation from all members of society, including women.

The Taliban’s recent actions have sparked international outrage, and continued restrictions on women’s rights could lead to worsening conditions for the people of Afghanistan. The United Nations and human rights organizations are pressing the Taliban to reverse these policies and allow women to fully participate in the society.

UN official criticizes Taliban’s recent decision: “The chosen path is wrong”
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2024 Ends With Still No Recognition of Interim Govt

Officials of the Islamic Emirate have said that the interim government is directly engaging with other countries, which, in their view, amounts to recognition.

The year 2024 proved to be politically tumultuous for the Islamic Emirate, with key issues such as the fate of the constitution and the interim cabinet remaining as unclear as in previous years.

International recognition of the Islamic Emirate also remained unresolved. Notable developments included new decrees issued by the Emirate’s leadership and global conditions set for normalizing relations with Afghanistan under the Islamic Emirate’s rule.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate have said that the interim government is directly engaging with other countries, which, in their view, amounts to recognition. Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, previously said: “At the conference of Islamic states, the Islamic Emirate was invited and representatives of the Islamic Emirate were present there, so what does recognition mean?”

Recognition is a crucial matter that, if achieved, could bring widespread changes in political and economic relations for the Islamic Emirate. However, the international community has made recognition conditional on steps such as improving human rights (especially women’s rights), forming an inclusive government, initiating national dialogue, and combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

On November 15, the US Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department said: “As long as the Taliban continues to essentially hold back 50 percent of its population from fully integrating in society, fully participating in society, it certainly is not going to be able to reach the international recognition that we know that they – that they’re seeking.”

The interim government has labeled these demands as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and has consistently urged the international community to refrain from meddling.

Despite this, Islamic Emirate officials repeatedly called on the international community to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and lift sanctions on more than 24 Islamic Emirate officials.

In July, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said: “The issue of an inclusive government is an internal matter; Afghans will make decisions with consideration of their national interests in any case. Neighboring countries, as well as distant and nearby countries, should discuss issues related to their relations with Afghanistan.”

Domestically, the fate of drafting a new constitution remains uncertain. Abdul Karim Haidar, Deputy Minister for Justice, at an event in Kabul said that no directive has been issued by the leader of the Islamic Emirate to draft a constitution.

The leader of the Islamic Emirate issued several decrees this year. According to the Ministry of Justice, seven laws have been approved since the Islamic Emirate came to power:

Law on the Duties and Authorities of the Directorate for Monitoring and Implementation of Decrees and Orders
Law on Preventing Land Grabbing and Recovering Seized Lands
Law For Hearing Complaints
Law on Collecting and Preventing Begging
Law on Money Services and Currency Exchange
Law on Industrial Zones
Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice

The Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, comprised of four chapters and 35 articles, was enacted on August 22. It covers various issues, including women’s hijab, men’s clothing, media regulations, and how ministry inspectors interact with the public. This law sparked widespread reactions.

Other decrees issued by the leader of the Islamic Emirate this year included regulations on the distribution of weapons, combating human trafficking, addressing court rulings from the previous government related to Islamic Emirate-affiliated individuals, and forming a special court to process pension payments. The latter decree was warmly welcomed by pensioners.

Zarifa, one of the pensioners, told TOLOnews after the decree: “This was good news, and we are very happy. We hope our pensions are paid soon, especially during winter when we have little at home.”

The interim cabinet continued its work throughout the year. However, it remains to be seen what the Islamic Emirate’s plans will be in the upcoming year regarding forming a permanent cabinet and other key matters.

2024 Ends With Still No Recognition of Interim Govt
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Islamic Emirate’s Foreign Policy: Triumphs and Trials in 2024

On December 6, Norway limited its relations with the Islamic Emirate, citing human rights violations in Afghanistan.

The reopening of embassies, the appointment of new Islamic Emirate consuls to several Afghan embassies abroad, and the closure of others were some of the major developments in Afghanistan’s foreign policy in 2024.

This year, at least two ambassadors of the Islamic Emirate officially presented their credentials. Abdul Ghaffar Bahar presented his credentials to the Uzbekistan Foreign Minister on October 10, and Badruddin Haqqani presented his credentials to the UAE President on November 28.

Other achievements included the reopening of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Kabul and the introduction of diplomats from Kazakhstan, India, and Oman, bringing the number of active Islamic Emirate diplomatic missions abroad to over 40. Meanwhile, the number of foreign embassies in Kabul increased to nearly 20.

Hamidullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has achieved significant progress in political and diplomatic fields, establishing high-level relations with countries like China, the UAE, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and several others in the region.”

On July 30, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared consular services in 13 European countries, including the UK, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Greece, France, Poland, Canada, Australia, and in Germany’s cities Bonn and Berlin, invalid due to non-engagement with the Islamic Emirate. Additionally, Afghanistan’s consulate in Munich and embassies in the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic were declared inactive.

However, countries like Italy and Nicaragua introduced non-resident ambassadors to Afghanistan. Michael Campbell was appointed by Nicaragua, and Sabrina Ugolini by Italy in 2024.Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “The Islamic Emirate expresses dissatisfaction with Norway’s decision to reduce its diplomatic engagement. We hope such decisions are not linked to internal matters of countries.”

Kyrgyzstan became the second country, after Kazakhstan, to remove the Islamic Emirate from its blacklist on December 5, 2024. Russia is reportedly considering a similar step.

Throughout 2024, various meetings on Afghanistan were held, and officials of the Islamic Emirate traveled to multiple countries. These officials included the Prime Minister, his deputies for administrative, political, and economic affairs, as well as acting ministers of Interior, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Education, Higher Education, and others.

On the other hand, notable international figures, including the Uzbekistam Prime Minister, the Special Representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations, and the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, visited Afghanistan.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations, told TOLOnews during his visit that he was examining various sectors offering humanitarian services and collaborating with partners to improve demining efforts in the area, which he described as the purpose of his visit.

On June 5, the UN Security Council temporarily lifted travel bans on four Islamic Emirate officials. However, in a resolution passed on December 13, the council extended the mandate of its sanctions monitoring committee for an additional 14 months.

Andres Montalvo Sosa, Chair of the UN Sanctions Committee, said that in 2024, the sanctions monitoring committee had issued 24 travel permits and extended an existing exemption allowing “Taliban” individuals on the blacklist to travel to eight member states.

The Islamic Emirate was excluded from the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the 16th BRICS Summit, the ECO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the Regional Contact Group Meeting in Tehran. However, it participated in key events such as the OIC Summit in Gambia, the third meeting of Special Representatives for Afghanistan in Doha, and the sixth Moscow Format Consultative Meeting.

At the Moscow Format Meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized pragmatic engagement with the Islamic Emirate: “Pragmatic dialogue between Moscow and Kabul is essential. We believe that maintaining constructive dialogue with the current Afghan government is in the interest of security, economic development, and achieving national solidarity in this country.”

In 2024, five UN Security Council meetings, the second and third rounds of the Doha Process, and two regional initiatives involving special representatives from 11 countries were held. These efforts aimed to implement the independent assessment recommended by the UN Secretary-General in 2023.

The Islamic Emirate criticized the UN for delays in implementing this independent assessment. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, said: “The roadmap was expected to succeed, but after a year, little progress has been made. While various meetings have been held, the expected support for Afghanistan as a UN member state has not materialized. Instead, time has been wasted.”

Despite these criticisms, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held its first working group meeting on combating drug trafficking on November 28, based on the recommendations from the 2023 independent assessment. UNAMA described the formation of this working group as a step forward in addressing the challenges.

Islamic Emirate’s Foreign Policy: Triumphs and Trials in 2024
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Afghan Refugees in 2024: A Year of Hardship and Forced Returns

Since the start of the second wave of deportations, 93,000 Afghan refugees have been forcibly returned from Pakistan.

The year 2024 was marked by significant challenges for Afghan refugees in host countries. Key issues included the second wave of forced deportations from Pakistan, continued mistreatment in Iran and Pakistan, and the execution of Afghan citizens in Iran.

Forced Deportations and International Assistance

Since the start of the second wave of deportations, 93,000 Afghan refugees have been forcibly returned from Pakistan. In response, the Islamic Emirate and international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, initiated efforts to support returnees.

Afghan refugees faced severe challenges in host countries, including executions, torture, bans on education and work, and even restrictions on bread sales in some Iranian cities. Mustafa, a refugee deported from Iran, said:
“They captured us last Saturday, and today we arrived here. We were severely mistreated, beaten, and treated worse than animals. If the Islamic Emirate creates job opportunities, we wouldn’t need to go to neighboring countries to work.”

The Islamic Emirate and international organizations urged host countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, to treat Afghan refugees with respect and refrain from forced deportations. Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, appealed:
“We request neighboring countries and the international community to allow Afghan refugees to live freely and not expel them forcibly. Let them return voluntarily to Afghanistan.”

UNHCR’s Chief Representative for Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, emphasized the importance of humane treatment:
“Our first message is to Pakistan and Iran, which is that you have been such generous hosts for 45 years. Please don’t stop right away; you must treat the Afghans with dignity and allow them to return safely and voluntarily.”

Deadly Incidents and Human Rights Violations

On October 16, Afghan refugees were attacked by Iranian border guards in Saravan, Sistan-Baluchistan, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. While Iran initially denied the incident, the Islamic Emirate launched an investigation, which later confirmed that two refugees were killed and 34 others injured. Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said:
“So far, two martyrs and 34 eyewitnesses, some of whom were injured, have been transferred by the delegation. Others remain in Iran and Pakistan.”

According to reports from Iranian human rights organizations, at least 74 Afghan refugees were executed in Iran in 2024 for various alleged crimes. In response, the Islamic Emirate engaged with Iranian authorities to address these issues. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, said:
“We are in contact with the Iranian government and have emphasized that their treatment of refugees must align with the law. Efforts are underway to transfer Afghan prisoners back to Afghanistan.”

Imprisonment and Prisoner Transfers

The imprisonment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and the UAE remained a significant challenge. On November 17, an Iranian delegation visited Afghanistan to discuss the transfer of Afghan prisoners. Following discussions with Afghan officials, it was revealed that 8,000 Afghan refugees are currently imprisoned in Iran, and plans for transferring 1,000 prisoners were finalized.

Mohammad Yousuf Mistry, Head of the General Directorate of Prisons, said:
“They promised to transfer more prisoners in the future. By the set timeline, other prisoners will also be handed over to us.”

Housing for Returnees

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced that it is waiting for the Islamic Emirate leader’s directive to begin distributing housing for returnees across 30 provinces in collaboration with the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, said:
“Currently, we are clearing settlements and carrying out developmental work. Basic facilities like clinics and schools are being built, and once we receive orders, land distribution will begin.”

According to the latest IOM report, over 1.2 million Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran in 2024.

Afghan Refugees in 2024: A Year of Hardship and Forced Returns
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