Afghans call for Taliban government to help repair Blue Mosque after quake

November 9, 2025

By

Reuters
November 5, 2025
  • Powerful earthquake killed at least 27 people
  • Quake also damaged historic Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif
  • Tiles have been broken off and minarets cracked
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Some residents in northern Afghanistan called on Wednesday for the Taliban government to help rebuild and restore a historic mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif that was damaged in a powerful earthquake.
Monday’s magnitude 6.3 quake struck near the city, killing at least 27 people, injuring almost 1,000 and destroying hundreds of houses, weeks before the onset of Afghanistan’s harsh winter.

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The Hazrat Ali Shrine, also known as the Blue Mosque, is considered one of the holiest sites in Afghanistan and is believed to be the burial site of the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.

TILES BROKE OFF, MINARETS CRACKED

The current structure, with its vibrant blue tiles and intricate mosaics, was built in the 15th century.
It suffered visible damage following the quake, with tiles broken off and cracked minarets, a Reuters team that visited the site on Wednesday said.
Sayed Mohammad Hussain, a university lecturer in Mazar-i-Sharif, said the mosque was one of the city’s preeminent historical symbols and a popular local attraction.
“Considering the parts that have been damaged, we call for serious attention from… the government to help rebuild and restore it,” he said.
The mosque had suffered “serious damage”, said Sayed Bashir Rasaa, another local resident.
“In my 55 years of life, I have never seen such an earthquake,” he said.
No repair work has begun and the mosque remains open to the public although the Taliban has pledged to begin repairs.
“The Ministry’s technical team will soon take the necessary steps to assess the extent of the damage and begin restoration efforts,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture said after the quake.
The hardline Taliban outraged the world in 2001 when it last ruled Afghanistan by ordering the destruction of two giant Buddhist statues known as the Buddhas of Bamiyan, calling them idolatrous.
Since returning to power in 2021, it has said it takes cultural preservation seriously and has pledged to restore sites including at Bamiyan.
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley remain on the U.N. culture and education agency UNESCO’s list of endangered World Heritage monuments.
Afghans call for Taliban government to help repair Blue Mosque after quake
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Kabul Determined to Continue Confrontation, Says Former Pakistani Envoy after Istanbul Talks Collapse

November 8, 2025
Khaama Press

Former Pakistani envoy Asif Durrani said the Istanbul talks collapsed, warning Kabul appears intent on prolonging confrontation and diplomatic deadlock with Islamabad.

Islamabad’s former envoy on Afghanistan affairs, Asif Durrani, has said the deadlock in negotiations in Istanbul suggests that the Taliban regime is determined to continue confrontation with Pakistan, and that the Pakistani team has since left the venue.

Durrani wrote on the X platform on Friday that if negotiations remain stalled, the border may remain sealed, trade suspended and travellers restricted — a scenario that risks harming ordinary citizens.

Pakistan has long accused Kabul of harbouring Tehrik‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters who mount cross-border attacks; Durrani claims the Taliban delegation in Istanbul explicitly refused to address the TTP issue.

In the talks mediated by Istanbul under the aegis of Doha-brokered ceasefire mechanisms, Pakistan handed over “evidence-based” demands to Turkey and Qatar, but the Afghan side rejected signing written commitments, insisting on verbal assurances only.

The Taliban refused the allegations and stated that Afghanistan does not provide safe havens for militants, and that Islamabad must respect Afghanistan sovereignty. A Taliban spokesman claimed Pakistani forces fired into Afghanistan territory on the day talks resumed in Istanbul, but Taliban forces held back “out of respect” for the dialogue.

The breakdown of the Istanbul process underscores the absence of trust between Islamabad and Kabul, especially over verification, documentation and accountability of militant cross-border activity. Without written guarantees, Pakistan’s patience appears exhausted, and regions along the frontier may see further disruption of trade and civilian movement.

For the broader region, the failure raises the risk of renewed military flare-ups. Diplomatic channels now face a tougher task; either reconvene with a stronger framework and enforce mapping of militant routes or witness a slide back into violence that could derail the fragile cease-fire.

Kabul Determined to Continue Confrontation, Says Former Pakistani Envoy after Istanbul Talks Collapse
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UNAMA Head: Afghanistan Must Honor Its International Obligations

November 8, 2025
TOLOnews
TV Network
7 Nov 2025

In an online meeting with journalists in Kabul, Georgette Gagnon emphasized that Afghanistan must uphold its international commitments.

The acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has said the mission focuses on political engagement, coordination of humanitarian aid, support for governance, and development initiatives.

In an online meeting with journalists in Kabul, Georgette Gagnon emphasized that Afghanistan must uphold its international commitments.

The UN official also described the Doha process as an effective mechanism for addressing Afghanistan’s challenges and noted that the date and agenda for the fourth Doha meeting would be determined by the member states involved in the process.

Georgette Gagnon mentioned that determining the agenda for the potential “Doha IV” meeting would be up to the member states involved in the Doha Process. She indicated that if the meeting takes place, it is likely that the issue of counter-narcotics would be part of the broader discussions.

Political analyst Hanif Khan Karo Khil said: “Over the past four years, the Islamic Emirate and UNAMA have criticized one another, yet there have been few tangible results. It is important that both sides show flexibility and reach some understanding on key issues.”

Over the past four years, international political efforts to resolve Afghanistan’s problems have followed two separate tracks: the Moscow Format, led by regional countries, and the Doha Process, led by the UN and Western nations.

Although several meetings have taken place under both frameworks, there is still no clear consensus within the international community on the way forward for Afghanistan.

UNAMA Head: Afghanistan Must Honor Its International Obligations
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Istanbul Talks Enter Second Day Behind Closed Doors

November 8, 2025
 TOLOnews
TV Network
7 Nov 2025

The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also stated that their delegation has presented its demands to the Turkish and Qatari mediators.

The ongoing negotiations in Istanbul have entered their second day behind closed doors.

Sources told TOLOnews that on the first day of talks, both sides shared their demands with the mediators from Turkey and Qatar. According to the sources, Pakistan once again raised demands in the third round that, in their view, are unrelated to Afghanistan.

One of the reported demands from Pakistan is the transfer of TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) members from Pakistan to Afghanistan. In response, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has demanded that Pakistani soil and airspace not be used by other countries or by ISIS for operations against Afghanistan.

Aziz Maarej, a political analyst, said: “These remarks are contradictory, on one hand, they say the TTP is in Afghanistan, and on the other, they request its transfer to Afghanistan, while the TTP is in fact an internal issue of Pakistan.”

The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that their delegation has presented its demands to the Turkish and Qatari mediators.

Tahir Hussain Andrabi added that the mediators are currently reviewing Pakistan’s demands with the Afghan delegation: “The Pakistani delegation has submitted documented and logical demands aimed at ending cross-border terrorism. The mediators fully support Pakistan’s position, which is based on the evidence provided by the Pakistani delegation and aligned with international norms and laws.”

The third round of talks between the delegations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Pakistan began on Thursday. Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had stated in a release that the third round would include discussions on establishing a mechanism for monitoring and verification to ensure peace and penalize violators.

Istanbul Talks Enter Second Day Behind Closed Doors
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Pakistan says Afghanistan talks deadlocked after deadly border clashes

November 8, 2025
Al Jazeera
Published On 7 Nov 2025
Afghan official says four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in border clashes.

Talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan are at a deadlock, Islamabad said, a day after both sides accused each other of mounting border clashes that risked breaching a ceasefire brokered by Qatar.

The update on the talks by Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday came after an Afghan official said four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border despite the joint negotiations.

There was no immediate comment from Kabul about the Pakistani claim.

In a statement thanking Turkiye and Qatar for mediating the talks, Tarar maintained that the Afghan Taliban has failed to meet pledges it made with the international community about curbing “terrorism” under a 2021 Doha peace accord.

Tarar said that Pakistan “will not support any steps by the Taliban government that are not in the interest of the Afghan people or neighboring countries.” He did not elaborate further, but added that Islamabad continues to seek peace and goodwill for Afghans but will take “all necessary measures” to protect its own people and sovereignty.

Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Spin Boldak, blamed Pakistan for initiating the shooting. However, he said Afghan forces did not respond amid ongoing peace talks between the two sides in Istanbul.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Afghanistan initiated the shooting.

“Pakistan remains committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities”, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said.

The ministry said the ceasefire remained intact.

Andrabi said Pakistan’s national security adviser, Asim Malik, is leading the Pakistani delegation in the talks with Afghanistan. The Afghan side is being led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence, according to Mujahid.

He said that Pakistan had handed over its demands to mediators “with a singular aim to put an end to cross-border terrorism,” and that “mediators are discussing Pakistan’s demands with the Afghan Taliban delegation, point by point.”

Strained Ties

Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring armed groups, particularly the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP), which regularly claims deadly attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban deny sheltering the group.

Many Pakistan Taliban leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, further straining ties between the two countries.

Turkiye said at the conclusion of last week’s talks that the parties had agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and penalise violators.

Fifty civilians were killed and 447 others wounded on the Afghan side of the border during clashes that began on October 9, according to the United Nations. At least five people died in explosions in Kabul that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan.

The Pakistani army reported 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 others wounded, without mentioning civilian casualties.

Pakistan says Afghanistan talks deadlocked after deadly border clashes
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Afghan opium crop plummets after Taliban ban – UN report

November 7, 2025

Bethany Bell Role, Yogita Limaye Role

BBC News

6 November 2025

Opium farming in Afghanistan has dropped significantly following a ban imposed by the Taliban government in 2022, the United Nations said.

The total area of land for growing opium poppy shrank 20% since last year, while the amount of opium has fallen by 32% over the same period, the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime said in a survey.

Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world’s opium, with heroin made from Afghan opium making up 95% of the market in Europe.

But after retaking power the Taliban banned the practice in April 2022, saying opium was harmful and went against their religious beliefs. The UN said most farmers continued to observe the ban despite “severe economic challenges”.

Many Afghan farmers are harvesting cereals, but poppy – from which opium, the key ingredient for the drug heroin can be extracted – continues to be “far more profitable” than legitimate crops, the UNODC noted.

Over 40% of available farmland has remained fallow because of the lack of profitable alternatives, limited agricultural outputs and, adverse climate conditions it added.

The total area under opium poppy cultivation this year was estimated at 10,200 hectares, mostly in the north-east of the country, with Badakhshan province accounting for the largest share. Before the 2022 ban, more than 200,000 hectares were under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

Four provinces with opium poppy cultivation in 2024 (Balkh, Farah, Laghman, Uruzgan) were declared opium poppy-free in 2025.

“The near elimination of cultivation from traditional strongholds illustrates the scale and durability of the ban on opium poppy cultivation,” the survey said.

The Taliban’s efforts to destroy opium fields occasionally sparked violent resistance from the farmers, particularly in the north-east, the UNODC said, noting that casualties were reported during clashes in several districts of Badakhshan.

But the vast majority of Afghan farmers adhere to the ban issued by the Taliban’s supreme leader.

However, farmers say they lack support to grow alternative crops – as a result, they have to choose between poverty or punishment.

“If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution,” one unnamed farmer in Helmand province told BBC Pashto this summer.

“If there’s no money, then I’ll grow poppies again.”

Poppy fields are no longer openly visible in Helmand, but they do still exist.

Another farmer showed BBC Pashto around his small walled-off poppy field in front of his house in a remote village. He’s risking jail, but he said he had no option.

“What should I do? I’m forced to do this – I have nothing else. I can’t even provide food for my family.”

While opium is in decline, trafficking in synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine have risen since the ban, the UNODC said.

Seizures of such drugs in and around Afghanistan was 50% higher in late 2024 compared with the previous year.

Organised crime groups favour synthetic drugs which are easier to produce and less vulnerable to climate shocks, the UNODC said.

Additional reporting by BBC Afghan’s Yama Bariz

Afghan opium crop plummets after Taliban ban – UN report
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Afghanistan earthquake survivors spend the night in the open; the quake damaged historical sites

November 5, 2025

By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN

Associated Press

Updated 10:59 AM EST, November 4, 2025

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Survivors of a powerful earthquake in northern Afghanistan that killed more than 25 people and injured nearly 1,000 were digging through the rubble of their homes Tuesday, trying to salvage what belongings they could after spending the night outside in the bitter cold.

Rain was forecast for the region, further compounding the misery for survivors.

The 6.3 magnitude quake struck just before 1 a.m. local time Monday, with an epicenter 22 kilometers (14 miles) west-southwest of the town of Khulm in Samangan province. By early Tuesday afternoon, the death stood at 27, while another 956 people were injured, Public Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement.

The tremor also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famed Blue Mosque in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, which is one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.

The Blue Mosque’s minaret was badly damaged, while some bricks and tiles had fallen from some of the mosque’s walls and cracks appeared in other parts of the centuries-old site, said Mahmoodullah Zarar, Head of Information and Culture of Balkh Province.

Video footage from the mosque, which is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals, showed structural damage to parts of the mosque, while brickwork and the decorative tiles that adorn its facade had crumbled in several places and laid strewn on the ground.

The most severely damaged historical monument in the province was the 19th century Bagh-e Jehan Nama Palace, said Firozuddin Munib, Samangan province’s Head of Information and Culture. The palace, built in 1890-1892, and its adjoining gardens are a popular site for visitors.

“The restoration of this palace is very important because winter is coming and the area is cold, and it is raining, which may cause further damage,” Munib said, adding that the quake caused a surrounding wall and one tower to collapse and also led to cracks in the palace and other towers.

In Khulm, aftershocks rattled survivors, who spent the night out in the open.

“People are still scared because of last night’s earthquake because small tremors were felt during the day,” said local resident Asadullah Samangani. “We spent the night in the open ground last night, the weather was very cold, we couldn’t sleep, we feel like there will be another earthquake now.”

He said authorities had sent tents and basic necessities, but that his home was “completely destroyed, nothing was left intact to use. Our children were all sick in the morning because we had spent the night in the cold, and all the household items were under the rubble.

“People from other areas came to help, but our belongings are still under rubble and damaged. Our women are facing great difficulties, we do not have a toilet and we do not have a place where our women can spend the night.”

Rescue crews were still operating in some areas on Tuesday, and were expected to finish by the end of the day.

The World Health Organization said partial damage had been reported in several health facilities, while the laboratory at the Samangan Provincial Hospital had collapsed, destroying critical medical equipment. Emergency response operations with health teams and rescue units were ongoing, it said.

Impoverished Afghanistan often faces difficulty in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Buildings tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood, many poorly built.

In August, a quake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.

Afghanistan earthquake survivors spend the night in the open; the quake damaged historical sites
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Pakistan Army Says Ongoing Tensions With Afghanistan Stem From Absence of Representative Govt in Kabul

November 5, 2025
Khaama Press

Pakistan’s military said ongoing tensions with Afghanistan are linked to the absence of a representative government in Kabul, urging stronger action against cross-border militancy.

The military’s remarks reflect Islamabad’s mounting frustration with Kabul’s failure to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups, even as Pakistan pursues diplomatic channels.

Pakistan’s military declared on Monday that the current tensions with Afghanistan stem from the absence of a legitimately elected government in Kabul. A spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that unless a representative leadership is installed in Afghanistan, issues such as cross-border militancy cannot be resolved.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, ISPR’s spokesperson, told reporters that although the 2020 Doha agreement promised a Loya Jirga and an inclusive Afghanistan government, “that commitment remains unfulfilled.” He emphasised Pakistan’s insistence on ending militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan territory.

Chaudhry noted that Pakistan has already eliminated some 1,667 militants this year, including Afghan nationals, and warned that the current cease-fire would be void if any militants operate from Afghanistan soil, signalling a potential return to open conflict.

Islamabad urged the Taliban’s leadership to comply with the border-security terms agreed in recent Doha and Istanbul talks. Pakistan’s single non-negotiable demand remains: Afghanistan territory must not be used to launch attacks into Pakistan.

The Taliban rejected Pakistan’s claims of militant sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, insisting no foreign armed groups operate on its soil and calling the accusations baseless.

Observers warn the already fragile truce could collapse unless steps are taken to operationalise the monitoring mechanism and rebuild mutual trust amid deepening Pakistani concerns over national security.

Pakistan Army Says Ongoing Tensions With Afghanistan Stem From Absence of Representative Govt in Kabul
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Pakistani Army Denies Secret Deal with U.S. Amid Rising Tensions with Kabul

November 5, 2025
TOLOnews
TV Network
4 Nov 2025

Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Islamabad does not allow any country, including the United States, to do such a thing.

The spokesperson of the Pakistani army, in a press conference, rejected the remarks made by the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regarding the use of Pakistan’s airspace against Afghanistan and the existence of a secret agreement between Pakistan and the United States on this issue.

Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Islamabad does not allow any country, including the United States, to do such a thing.

The Pakistani security official said: ‘This news is fake. Pakistan has not given permission to the United States or any other country to use its territory for attacks inside Afghanistan. These claims are baseless propaganda.’

The spokesperson of the Pakistani army once again said that Pakistan’s security concerns are the only issue between Kabul and Islamabad and added that if an attack is launched from Afghanistan, the current ceasefire between the two sides will also end.

Sayed Muqadam Amin, a political analyst, said on the matter: ‘These are not issues that should be viewed solely from Pakistan’s perspective; rather, the United States is directly involved, and the Islamic Emirate, considering national interests, should continue some meetings with the United States after Pakistan, keeping in mind the provisions of the Doha agreement.’

The verbal tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have escalated at a time when, in two days, the third round of negotiations between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Pakistan is set to begin in Istanbul, Turkey.

Pakistani Army Denies Secret Deal with U.S. Amid Rising Tensions with Kabul
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Afghanistan earthquake death toll mounts and Taliban officials say almost 1,000 people injured

November 5, 2025

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan early on Monday climbed to 27 on Tuesday, with almost 1,000 others confirmed injured by the temblor, according to national health officials.
The U.S Geological Survey said the 6.3 magnitude quake was centered near Kholm, in the northern Samangan province, but Afghanistan’s Taliban government has reported damage and casualties in at least five other provinces.

Videos posted online show the quake lasting about 20 seconds. It was so powerful that it was felt in the capital Kabul and neighboring countries, causing panic for families early Monday morning.

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said 27 people were killed, most of them in Samangan and the neighboring Balkh provinces. There were also confirmed deaths in Baghlan, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Jawzjan provinces, with a total of 953 confirmed injuries.

The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority has reported that over 500 homes were partially or fully damaged in the earthquake, leaving families at immediate risk of displacement and in urgent need as temperatures drop with the onset of winter.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh, the quake caused significant damage to the famed 15th-century Blue Mosque, according to regional government spokesman Haji Zahid, who shared a video of the damage on his social media account.

Humanitarian aid organizations, many of them reeling from recent funding cuts by the U.S. and other governments, have deployed teams to help facilitate the delivery of emergency health care and other essential items to those affected.

6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan
An infographic shows the location of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan early on Nov. 3, 2025.Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu/Getty

“Afghanistan faces repeated disasters — earthquakes, floods, and droughts, all worsened by the climate crisis. At the same time, the country is experiencing a severe food crisis driven by drought, economic collapse, and the withdrawal of vital funding,” ActionAid’s country director for Afghanistan, Srikanta Mirsa, said in a statement. “One in five Afghans faces acute hunger, with millions more severely malnourished.”

Over the past two years, Afghanistan has been struck by multiple deadly earthquakes, including a powerful temblor that hit the country’s east in late August, killing 2,200 people and leaving thousands of families without shelter, clean water, and medical care, according to the United Nations and Afghan authorities.

“In this moment of profound need, the world cannot turn away. Every cut to international aid further weakens the resilience and recovery of millions of Afghans already living in crisis,” said Mirsa.

Afghanistan earthquake death toll mounts and Taliban officials say almost 1,000 people injured
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