IRGC Funds Al-Qaeda's Military Operations in Region, Says Afghanistan United Front

Trump asserted that under his plan, the US would not have left Afghanistan until the Taliban fulfilled their promises.

During a speech on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Trump said, "I spoke with the Taliban leader, and he called me 'Your Excellency’”.
He added, "I warned the Taliban leader that if you kill one American, we will hit you harder than ever before in history."

Trump claimed that the group did not dare to attack American soldiers for 18 months.

He also recalled that during the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, 13 American soldiers were killed and 45 others were injured.
Trump criticised Joe Biden's administration, stating that the US left behind $85 billion worth of equipment during the 2021 withdrawal, which the Taliban are now "selling”.

He also mentioned that the US not only left these weapons but also evacuated Bagram Air Base, which he claimed is now used by China.
Trump concluded by saying that his plan was for US forces to leave Afghanistan gradually and conditionally.

According to these sources, one of the injured individuals was shot, while the other sustained a head injury after being hit by a stone.

The injured have been transferred to Punjab Hospital, with the condition of the person with the head injury "concerning”.

Witnesses also stated that the Taliban deleted video recordings of the clash from locals' mobile phones and prohibited interviews, as well as taking of photos and videos of the injured.

Some sources suggest that the number of injured could be higher than initially reported, but Afghanistan International has not yet been able to verify this.
The clash occurred in the "Darazqul" area along the Ghor-Kabul highway when nomads brought their sheep to graze in the villagers' fields and pastures, leading to a confrontation.

This incident took place just two days after Mullah Noorullah Noori, the Taliban's Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, announced in a meeting with Mullah Abdul Kabir, the group's Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, that "the issue of pastures between the Hazara people and the nomads has been resolved through a plan agreed upon by both sides”.

Local sources in Hazarajat are yet to confirm that the disputes between the nomads and villagers have been resolved as per the agreement. Furthermore, the recent clash in Punjab highlights ongoing tensions between the two groups.

Last year, Mullah Abdul Kabir stated that a solution for the conflict between the nomads and the Hazaras would be found based on Islamic Sharia and law.
Following the statements from Taliban leaders last year, several members signed and published a document forming the "Commission for Resolving Conflicts between Nomads and Local Residents”.

This document, comprising six articles, permitted the nomads access to areas where they claimed land ownership. If villagers had any disputes, they were directed to refer to the Taliban authorities.

The document also emphasised that until the Taliban's Commission for Resolving Conflicts settles the disputes over pastures and lands, neither side is allowed to occupy the disputed areas.

According to the Taliban, these projects will generate eight megawatts of electricity in Paktika, Uruzgan, and Farah.

Abdul Latif Mansour, the Taliban's Minister of Energy and Water, and Haji Pahlawan, the head of the private company "Awfi Bahram Mining" signed these agreements on Thursday.

Due to a lack of access to electrical energy, Afghanistan relies heavily on fossil fuels and generators, and it is significantly dependent on neighbouring countries for its energy needs.

The country meets 75% of its electricity needs from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, spending millions of dollars annually.

In late 2023, the United Nations announced that Afghanistan is facing a major energy crisis, with only 40% of households in the country having access to electricity.

Mobini stated that this system was established to facilitate access to comprehensive and complete statistics on foreign nationals and migrants.

According to Iranian media, this Iranian official announced the launch of this system during a meeting in Kerman on Thursday.

He mentioned that alongside launching this system, the Islamic Republic of Iran is simultaneously advancing several important initiatives, including border control, visa reform, job atlas, stricter penalties, a bail plan, smart traffic plan, student and school initiatives, micro-deposits, large-scale investments, and organising smart cards.

Afghans constitute the largest population of foreign migrants in Iran.

Previously, the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs in Kermanshah province announced the prohibition of accommodation, and employment of Afghan migrants in 16 provinces.

East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Mazandaran, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, and Hamedan are the provinces where the settlement and employment of Afghans have been banned.

In October 2023, over 540 artists, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and civil and social activists in Iran called for an end to the harassment of Afghan migrants in Iran.

They stated that Iran's legal system in recent years has created the most significant obstacles and challenges to the integration of migrants into the host society.

Meanwhile, Massoud stated in a recent interview that the United States opposes his presence in the country.

On Tuesday, July 16, in an interview with Shawn Ryan on YouTube, Massoud mentioned that he believes the US government does not want him to go to the US, stating that he had not observed any indication from them to invite him there and listen to his words.

Ryan, who published the interview with Massoud on his YouTube channel, said that the US placed the NRF leader on its blacklist to prevent his travel to the country.

So far, the US State Department has not reacted in this regard.

He stated that his initial strategy had been to fight until the last moment in Panjshir, aiming to die in a painful way so that, through this tragedy and sacrifice, he might provide his people with a reason to rise up.

The leader of the NRF said that in the past year and a half, none of their members have been killed nor taken prisoner, and their operations against the Taliban have been very successful.

Massoud continued to warn of the dangerous consequences of US financial aid to Afghanistan under Taliban rule. He said that the Taliban have created 900 non-governmental organisations to use US financial aid.

The US government and other donor countries have said that their financial aid, which amounts to more than $2 billion over the past three years, has been provided through humanitarian organisations solely to meet humanitarian needs.

However, the United Nations has warned that global aid to Afghanistan has decreased.

Massoud claimed that the Taliban are building jihadist madrassas with US money. This group has been able to obtain about two and a half billion dollars a year from Afghanistan's legitimate revenues without income from drug trafficking.

He also cautioned about the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan, noting that foreign mercenaries enter the country, receive training, and subsequently depart Afghanistan again.

The Taliban have denied the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan and stated that they do not allow any group to attack other countries from Afghan soil.

US media reported that Washington is considering cooperation with the Taliban to combat ISIS as an option. Washington sees ISIS as a major threat to its security, and the Taliban also have the necessary motivation to suppress ISIS.