Two Pakistani Militants Escape Police & Flee to Afghanistan

Accusing the Taliban of consistently violating religious freedoms, the commission called for sanctions against responsible officials of the group.

In its annual report released on Wednesday, the commission urged Washington to designate Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as a "Country of Particular Concern”.

The report noted that in 2023, the Taliban severely restricted the individual and religious freedoms of all Afghans, particularly women and religious minorities such as Shia Muslims, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians, and continues to do so.

During Muharram, Taliban officials stated that for the safety of mourners, Ashura ceremonies should be limited and held at specific locations. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said that the Taliban has restricted the religious freedom of Shias.

ISIS has attacked Shia Muslims religious sites in the capital on several occasions. The Taliban has failed to prevent ISIS attacks on this community.

According to the report, ISIS-Khorasan has continued its attacks on the Shia minority in Afghanistan. In October 2023, ISIS attacked the Imam Zaman Mosque in Pol-e-Khumri city of Baghlan province.

The Taliban stated that seven people were killed in the incident, but sources told Afghanistan International that the death toll was over 20.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom highlighted the role of the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in enforcing discriminatory Taliban decrees. Additionally, the Taliban publicly administer punishments such as flogging for alleged moral crimes.

The commission called on the US government to sanction and freeze the assets of Taliban officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that the Taliban arrested several journalists, women's rights activists, and religious minorities last year.

The group has also restricted the activities of aid organisations by banning women from working. In another move, the Taliban arrested 18 local employees of an NGO in September 2023, accusing them of promoting Christianity.

The commission recommended that the US government place Afghanistan on the list of countries with serious concerns about the freedoms of its citizens.

Additionally, the commission urged the US government to prioritise asylum requests from at-risk religious minorities.

The commission stated that US diplomats should raise the issue of religious freedoms in Afghanistan in their interactions and meetings with Taliban representatives.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan federal entity established in 1998.

According to the group's statement, three Taliban fighters were killed in the incident.

AFF has shared a video of the attack on its social media platform.

The group also mentioned in their statement that one Taliban member was injured during the attack.

Afghanistan International has not independently confirmed the occurrence of this attack or the reported casualties.

In recent months, this anti-Taliban armed group has frequently claimed responsibility for guerrilla attacks on Taliban checkpoints and posts in Kabul and other provinces.

Haqmal told McPhillips that media projects should be provided to the media in coordination with the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture.

On Wednesday, Haqmal said that the media outlets have complaints about the projects, and to address these complaints, the projects should be made available to these organisations in coordination with the Ministry of Information and Culture.

The Bakhtar News Agency, under Taliban control, reported that McPhillips assured she would increase coordination with the group's Ministry in this regard. Bakhtar wrote that "the head of UNESCO welcomed the progress made in various sectors in Afghanistan”.

The Afghanistan Journalists Centre says that since the Taliban's return to power, freedom of expression and the media have been deteriorating alarmingly. Widespread censorship, a financial crisis, and the flight of hundreds of journalists has led to the shutdown of media outlets.

Private media are not allowed to broadcast music, films, and foreign series. Some sources say that "the newsrooms of some private media outlets are managed by the Taliban’s Intelligence, the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and the Taliban's Ministry of Culture”.

The Afghanistan Journalists Centre has also expressed concern about violence and the arbitrary detention of journalists.

According to the sources, although the Kuchis have left these villages, the efforts of Hazara villagers to drive them out resulted in a clash.

Based on information from local sources, the Kuchis attacked the pastures and advanced to several villages. However, Hazara villagers from neighbouring villages gathered and prevented the Kuchis from proceeding further.

Sources said that in response to the Hazara villagers' attempts to stop the Kuchis from entering the pastures, the Kuchis "opened fire using rifles”. In the videos received by Afghanistan International, gunfire can be heard. It is reported that no one was injured in this clash.

However, sources said that the nomads have left the Posht-e Ghor Ghori area and are currently in the Mehr and Tarpas areas.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, nomads have repeatedly clashed with Hazara villagers in the Panjab district.

The conflict between the Kuchis and Hazara villagers in Panjab centres around claims of ownership of pastures and land.

Abdul Kabir, the deputy prime minister of the Taliban, said last year that a solution would be found "for the problem between the Kuchis and Hazaras in the light of Sharia and law”.

Following the statements of Taliban leaders last year, several members of the group signed and published a document as the "Commission for Resolving Disputes between Kuchis and Local Residents”.

This document included six articles that allowed the nomads to go to places where they claimed land ownership. If the villagers had any claims, they were to refer to the Taliban authorities.

The document also emphasised that until the disputes over pastures and land are resolved by the Taliban's Dispute Resolution Commission, neither side has the right to occupy the disputed pastures and land.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Saleh stated, “Mullah Hibatullah fears Kabul, where the majority of the population is not Pashtun, and the residents are highly critical of the Taliban regime.” He noted that Kabul has ceased to be the true capital of Afghanistan, with this role now being assumed by Kandahar.

Saleh explained, “It is evident that Hibatullah fears that if he were in Kabul, he would face constant protests. Consequently, the Taliban Emir resides in Kandahar, 500 kilometres from Kabul, to avoid demonstrations and potential threats of rebellion.”

He further remarked that the Taliban has largely maintained its control in Afghanistan due to regular financial support from the United States, emphasising, “The United States is the only country the Taliban respects.”

Saleh also claimed that the Taliban now poses a threat to Russian interests. He noted that Iran, Russia, and other countries have attempted to establish regional relations with the Taliban but have not succeeded.

While the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan, Saleh said that it continues to exert influence, alleging that the US pays the Taliban between $40 to $80 million weekly, with funds sent from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. He suggested that without the US support, the Taliban would collapse within a week.

Saleh emphasised that the Taliban respects only the Doha Agreement with the US, underscoring that it is an agreement solely between the Taliban and the United States, with no other country involved. He urged regional countries to understand this clearly.

He questioned why regional nations continue to honour the US-Taliban agreement after the US withdrawal, arguing that it does not serve their interests.

Additionally, Saleh accused China of failing to respect Afghanistan's diverse society, stating, “Beijing does not understand that Afghanistan is not just Pashtunistan or Talibanistan; other people also live there, but China does not acknowledge them.”

Saleh described the Taliban's regime as unprecedentedly authoritarian, saying, “In our history, even a tyrant like Abdul Rahman Khan was not as deranged as Mullah Hibatullah.”