Taliban Northern Governors & Security Chiefs Meet in Faryab

According to a statement shared on the social media platform X, the ministry stated that 13 individuals were arrested in the provinces of Daikundi, Kabul, Takhar, and Sar-e Pul on suspicion of "moral corruption." These individuals were handed over to the Taliban's judicial authorities for further investigation and the implementation of "divine rulings."

The ministry also reported the detention of nine people in the provinces of Ghazni, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and Sar-e Pul on charges of "witchcraft." The Taliban alleges that these individuals were promoting practices deemed contrary to "Islamic Sharia" and causing discord within families. However, it remains unclear what specific actions the Taliban considers as "witchcraft."

Earlier, the ministry announced the arrest of nine individuals in Kabul on suspicion of "moral corruption" and "gambling." These individuals were reportedly released after providing guarantees.

The Taliban's morality police conduct mobile patrols across Afghanistan, monitoring the behavior and actions of citizens. The Taliban's Promotion of Virtue law grants the group's morality police extensive powers, enabling them to enforce the group's strict interpretation of Islamic law.

According to the ministry’s statement, Sergei Lukashevich met with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, to discuss “political and economic” cooperation.

Stanikzai described the Belarusian official’s visit to Kabul as a significant development in relations between Belarus and Afghanistan, signalling the start of long-term collaboration.

According to the Taliban’s statement, Lukashevich expressed Belarus’s interest in fostering cooperation with Afghanistan across various sectors.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad, the Taliban’s Deputy Spokesperson, shared the statement on the social platform X, noting that both Stanikzai and Lukashevich agreed that technical teams from both sides would conduct further discussions in Kabul and Minsk.

Writing on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), she stated, “Terrorists must not receive even a penny from American taxpayers’ money.”

Ms Luna emphasised, “We are sending $40 million a week to the Taliban—the very group that threatens our sovereignty and security.”

The congresswoman voiced her support for fellow Representative Tim Burchett’s proposal to halt financial assistance to the Taliban. She further added that Burchett’s proposed bill aims to put an end to such financial transfers.

Last week, Burchett announced that he had submitted a bill to the House of Representatives seeking to prohibit taxpayer money from being directed to the Taliban. Referring to this legislative proposal, Luna remarked that the bill would terminate the transfer of funds to the militant group.

Luna represents the state of Florida in the U.S. Congress.

The issue of financial assistance to Afghanistan under Taliban rule has become a focal point of debate among Republican lawmakers. Recently, Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and influential advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, also commented on the controversy.

Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, stated during a press conference on Tuesday that the U.S. government is “sending billions of dollars to the Taliban.” He condemned the financial aid as “unacceptable” and insisted that such assistance “should not be happening.”

Critics of the Taliban have welcomed the remarks made by the incoming administration, arguing that the Taliban is using American taxpayers’ money to fuel terrorism within Afghanistan.

However, Taliban officials have denied receiving any financial assistance from the United States.

Currently, more than 3,000 Afghan refugees who have received German admission are in Pakistan.

Germany has come under fire in recent months for its slow process of accepting Afghans. Human rights groups say that the country's bureaucratic delays have put vulnerable people at risk.

However, the German government says that it is in close contact with Pakistani authorities and is constantly working to support eligible refugees.

The German government, through the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), houses and finances eligible asylum seekers in guest houses in Pakistan.

On December 31, 2024, Pakistani security forces detained six Afghan asylum seekers who had been accepted by Germany, including a former local employee of the German government, and deported them to Afghanistan. However, two of them were able to return to Islamabad with German support.

The German Foreign Ministry announced that Pakistan's deportation of Afghan refugees "is a matter of concern to the federal government".

The Foreign Ministry added that the German embassy in Islamabad is in close contact with Pakistani authorities to facilitate the speedy return of the deportees to Pakistan.

The ministry stressed that people who are currently undergoing asylum procedures in Germany or other countries are not the target of these deportations.

The German Foreign Ministry also announced that all people under the care of the German government in Pakistan will receive letters of support from the German embassy in Islamabad to prevent their arrest and deportation.

After the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, more than 36,000 Afghans, mainly local employees, have been resettled in Germany, and about 3,000 others are currently in Germany to process their asylum cases.

Nazary called on Trump to consider the National Resistance Front as a partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism.

Nazary, the head of foreign relations of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, said in an interview with the National Journal that after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the US government no longer has accurate information about the situation inside Afghanistan. Nazary said that thousands of foreign fighters are currently operating under the banner of various terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

He also added that the National Resistance Front needs strong allies to fight terrorism in Afghanistan.

He added that the NRF has a close relationship with some key officials of the Donald Trump administration and stressed that these officials will reconsider Afghanistan in the new US administration.

The NRF official named to-be National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Senator Marco Rubio, the new US secretary of state, as officials who better understand Afghanistan's issues and monitor the current situation in the country. He said that the officials could change US policy toward Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Taliban officials have said that they are ready to expand relations with the United States after Trump's victory in the US presidential election.

Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister, had previously said that Trump was "bold and serious" and that the Taliban wanted to establish relations with him.