Afghanistan

The Taliban’s envoy to Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, says the group wants Russia to investigate Pakistan’s alleged attack on a medical center in Kabul and assist victims.

Clashes have broken out between Taliban border forces and Pakistani troops in Khost province as talks between the two sides continue in Urumqi, China, local sources say.

The Taliban disaster authority says at least three people have died and 16 were injured in flooding over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll from four days of floods across Afghanistan to 51.

The Taliban Foreign Ministry says a mid-level delegation has travelled to Urumqi, China, for talks with Pakistan, with discussions set to begin under Chinese mediation.

Local sources in Herat say the Taliban have detained influential Shia cleric Hussein Azimi in Jebrail township and taken him to an unknown location, with no information on his fate or the reason for his arrest.

Russia’s transport minister, Andrey Nikitin, has described Uzbekistan as a key partner in developing relations with the Taliban, highlighting cooperation on regional transport projects.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said a delegation of senior officials has travelled to Urumqi, China, for talks with the Afghan Taliban.

Talks between Pakistani officials and Taliban representatives in the Chinese city of Urumqi have made no progress, sources said.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said 30 people were publicly flogged in Nimruz, Nangarhar, Farah and Paktika provinces on charges including extramarital relations, theft, and violence against parents.

Richard Lindsay, the United Kingdom’s special envoy for Afghanistan, has called on the Taliban to lift restrictions preventing female staff from accessing United Nations offices.

The Taliban’s disaster management authority says at least six people have died and seven others were injured in flooding over the past 24 hours, with 533 homes damaged and more than 1,000 families displaced.

Malala Yousafzai has urged countries to support the rights of Afghan women and girls, saying women’s rights must be a non-negotiable condition in any talks with the Taliban.

A new round of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan is set to be held in Urumqi, China, with diplomatic sources confirming participation by Pakistani officials and Taliban representatives from key ministries.

A peace jirga in Peshawar, attended by about 60 political, civil and religious figures, has called for the continuation of a ceasefire between the Taliban administration and Islamabad and urged both sides to resolve disputes through diplomacy.

The Norwegian Refugee Council says more than 28,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Iran since the war began, warning returnees urgently need food, shelter, clean water and other basic services.

The UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan says the latest UN report shows another shocking regression, warning no country can progress while half its population is excluded from education, work and public life.

The Taliban Supreme Court says it has flogged six people, including two women, in Samangan and Balkh, accusing them of running away from home, extramarital relations and same-sex relations.

The Taliban’s use of drones has evolved over five years from commercial surveillance aircraft and propaganda tools into a more ambitious program involving armed and apparent one-way attack drones.