Afghanistan

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan has urged the Taliban and Pakistan to cooperate in tackling terrorism, saying the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan is a real problem.

Former Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar has urged the Taliban and political opposition to mobilise to defend the country following civilian casualties in a Pakistani strike on Kabul.

The Taliban Defence Ministry said its deputy army chief, Mali Khan Siddiq, visited border areas in Paktika, rejecting Pakistan’s claims of territorial control as false propaganda.

The Taliban governor’s office in Herat said on Friday that Iranian lorry drivers will no longer need visas to enter Afghanistan, in a move aimed at easing cross-border trade.

Human Rights Watch says Pakistan’s strike on a drug treatment center in Kabul, which killed civilians, was unlawful and likely a war crime, calling for an immediate, impartial investigation and accountability.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said Moscow is in talks with Taliban officials about recruiting Afghan workers.

Pakistani media reported on Friday that the Torkham border crossing was once again closed to the deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants after a Pakistani border guard was wounded.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country is reviewing whether to recognise the Taliban administration in co-ordination with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister on Thursday held separate phone calls with his Pakistani counterpart and the Taliban’s prime minister.

Taliban authorities held a group funeral on Thursday for victims of a Pakistani airstrike on a drug treatment center in Kabul, with dozens still unaccounted for.

Pakistan said it has resumed military operations in Afghanistan after a temporary Eid ceasefire ended, targeting what it described as militant hideouts.

International officials and organisations have renewed calls for equal access to education in Afghanistan as the new school year begins, with a focus on girls’ rights.

The Taliban’s Education Ministry has set out its plans for the new academic year without mentioning the reopening of secondary schools for girls, leaving millions without access to education.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Education on Thursday marked the start of the new Persian school year in a ceremony in which Taliban officials rang the school bell.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said at least seven people were flogged in Kabul and Balkh in the days following Eid al-Fitr.

A group of politicians and representatives of anti-Taliban groups said after a two-day meeting in London that Afghanistan’s future political system must be based on the will and vote of the people, within the framework of a modern constitution.

Taliban border police say reports that the Torkham crossing will reopen are false and that the key Afghanistan-Pakistan route remains closed.

Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the US president, said efforts are continuing to secure the release of two Americans still believed to be held in Afghanistan after the Taliban freed Dennis Coyle.