Taliban Members Kill 2 Kidnappers in Kabul
Khalid Zadran, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the police command in Kabul, announced that three kidnappers opened fire at a patrolling group of the Taliban and a shootout ensued.
Khalid Zadran, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the police command in Kabul, announced that three kidnappers opened fire at a patrolling group of the Taliban and a shootout ensued.
Zadran added that in this incident two kidnappers were killed, and one fled the area.
He stated that the Taliban officials are searching for the fugitive but did not explain why the kidnappers initially shot at the Taliban personnel.
The group has also released photos showing the bloody bodies of these two men.
The Pakistani government has instructed its police force to commence the second phase of expelling Afghan migrants. Officials also indicate that this phase is likely to begin in the summer season.
According to Dawn newspaper, approximately one million Afghan migrants, holders of ACC cards or temporary residence permits, will be expelled from the country.
Dawn, quoting a Pakistani official, mentioned that instructions for expediting the mapping of the residences of temporary residence cardholders have been dispatched to local offices.
Abed Majid, the senior secretary for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, stated, "We have already started the mapping process. This will accelerate after Ramadan, with its completion hopefully by April 30 of this year."
Another official, quoted by Dawn, expressed uncertainty about when the second phase of Afghan migrants’ expulsion will start, but suggested that it could commence at the beginning of summer, following federal government approval.
UN Refugee Agency statistics show that 2.18 million Afghan migrants reside in Pakistan.
This includes 1.3 million refugees holding a "POR" card or permanent residence from the UN Refugee Agency and another 880,000 refugees who received temporary residence permits after registering in 2017.
Pakistani authorities reported that between six hundred to eight hundred thousand people arrived in Pakistan following the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in August 2021, and are now facing an uncertain future.
In November of the previous year, Pakistan announced the expulsion of 1.7 million undocumented migrants. Pakistani media estimated that about half a million migrants have since returned to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has forcibly evicted Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Party, from his home and office, asserting that these properties are state-owned assets.
This action contradicts Hekmatyar's claim that he occupied these spaces under an agreement with Afghanistan's former government.
Issued by Taliban’s leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and executed by Minister of Justice Abdul Hakim Sharei, the eviction highlights a stark property dispute.
Despite denials of a siege on Hekmatyar's Kabul home from close sources to the Hezb-e-Islami leader, there's confirmation that Hekmatyar will relocate.
The disagreement centres on the land's ownership, with the Taliban alleging it belongs to their Ministry of Defence. Habib-ur-Rahman Hekmatyar, Gulbuddin’s son, clarified that while his father's residence is not under siege, a relocation is imminent.
He noted that discussions with the Taliban concluded that the peace agreement with Ashraf Ghani's government is now void, leaving the Darul Aman residence as the only remnant of that accord.
This eviction follows a Taliban directive from October 2022, led by Abdul Hakim Sharei, to reclaim encroached lands. Notably, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice announced in November 2023 that deliberations over 26.5 acres assigned temporarily to Hekmatyar in Darul Aman had concluded, though details remain undisclosed.
Hekmatyar, initially supportive of the Taliban's return, has increasingly criticised their governance, particularly the harsh policies towards women and girls. His outspoken stance on the non-compulsory nature of certain dress codes as per Islamic texts and the right for Afghans to choose their political system have been pivotal points of contention.
These critiques, culminating in the temporary cessation of his Friday sermons in February 2023, underscore the tension between Hekmatyar and the Taliban.
Despite halting his public addresses under pressure, Hekmatyar has persisted in vocalising his disagreements with the Taliban.
Senators Tom Cotton and Marco Rubio, both Republicans, expressed their concerns following an attack on a concert hall in Moscow, that ISIS' capability to execute terrorist attacks on US soil and against its citizens is alarming.
Cotton attributed this situation to the "failed policy of withdrawal from Afghanistan”.
ISIS-K attacked a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow on March 23, resulting in over 130 deaths.
Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, voiced his "serious concerns" about the potential of ISIS to attack American citizens, describing it as a "significant threat”.
On Fox News, Cotton stated, "It is deeply regrettable that innocent people, women, and children, were killed in Moscow, but the next attack could target US embassies in Asia and Europe or our students on a field trip to Europe."
He added that this situation reflects the dangerous fallout after Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also linked potential ISIS attacks on American soil to the way the US exited Afghanistan.
On ABC television, he said that [ISIS-K] has regrouped and stressed that they had warned that this might happen with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Rubio continued that one reason they didn't want this hasty withdrawal was that it would give [ISIS] the operational space to reorganise and plan attacks on targets abroad.
Senator Rubio added that ISIS managed to carry out terrorist attacks in Iran and Russia, and "they will do it in America too”.
He called on the Biden administration to strengthen US border security to prevent terrorists from entering the country and prevent an incident similar to Moscow from happening in America.
Karim Amin, a prominent figure of the Hezb-e-Islami Party, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has instructed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the party's leader, to evacuate his current dwelling and office and relocate to a different location.
On Sunday, Taliban forces surrounded Hekmatyar's home in Kabul.
Contradicting local narratives about a siege at Hekmatyar's residence, Amin clarified that the Hezb-e-Islami's main office is not surrounded by the Taliban. He explained that a decision was made regarding the relocation of the party leader's home and the party's principal office.
The contention appears to revolve around the property housing Hekmatyar's residence and office, which the Taliban asserts is owned by the group's Ministry of Defence.
Foreign Policy has uncovered that fourteen groups aligned with Al-Qaeda benefit from the income of the Taliban's mining operations.
The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Jamaat Ansarullah, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and Al-Qaeda across regions such as the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, the Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa capitalise on these mining revenues.
Taliban Supplies Al-Qaeda with Essentials
Referring to a confidential document, Foreign Policy detailed how the Taliban provides Al-Qaeda commanders and operatives with a range of support, with weaponry and shelter for women and passports. This support enables Al-Qaeda access an extensive heroin trade network.
According to the report, this drug trafficking network, which had previously financed the Taliban’s conflict against Afghanistan's former government, is now available to Al-Qaeda.
According to foreign policy, the document also reveals that post-Taliban victory in August 2021, the pathways for smuggling methamphetamine, arms, cash, and gold have been re-routed. Militants from Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Palestinian territories frequent Al-Qaeda’s reinvigorated training camps, secured by the Taliban’s intelligence agency.
Al-Qaeda's $195 Million Plunder from Takhar and Badakhshan Gold Mines
The report reviewed by Foreign Policy stated that Al-Qaeda rakes in tens of millions of dollars weekly from gold mining in Badakhshan and Takhar. Parts of this report revealed by Foreign Policy show that Al-Qaeda claims a 25% cut from these mining operations, accumulating $194.4 million since 2022.
The report stressed that this mining effort too employs tens of thousands, safeguarded by warlords allied with the Taliban.
The analysis focused on eleven gold mines where Al-Qaeda had partnership interests. Profits from these ventures are split between two Taliban factions sympathetic to Al-Qaeda: Sirajuddin Haqqani's faction in Kabul and Hibatullah Akhundzada’s faction in Kandahar, highlighting the intimate connections both factions have with Al-Qaeda.
Shared among Western diplomats and UN officials, this report extensively documents the influence of the group, once led by Osama bin Laden, within the Taliban’s ranks.
According to Foreign Policy, based on this report, Al-Qaeda exploits Afghanistan's natural resources and diverts international humanitarian assistance.
This investigation, produced by a London-based private firm and independently validated by Foreign Policy, draws on recent research conducted within Afghanistan. It includes a roster of senior Al-Qaeda members and delineates their operational roles within the Taliban regime.