Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says its forces have killed 28 people and captured 32 others during an operation against groups it accused of attempting to enter the country through the Durand Line in Kamdesh district of Nuristan province.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said several groups affiliated with Daesh, along with what it described as “Shar-o-Fasad” elements, crossed into Afghan territory with the support and encouragement of Pakistani militias, allegedly with the aim of carrying out acts of subversion and creating insecurity.

The ministry said Afghan security and defense forces responded by launching operations against the groups.

“Twenty-eight of them were killed, while another 32 were captured alive,” the statement said. It added that a number of others fled back across the Durand Line or to the centres of Pakistani militias.

The Defense Ministry further claimed that Pakistani military personnel, Pakistan-affiliated “Arbaki” forces and Daesh elements were present in coordination with the groups, but fled the battlefield once fighting began.

The ministry also alleged that many of those involved were former military personnel who served under Afghanistan’s previous government.

According to the statement, Pakistani intelligence agencies allegedly took some of them to Pakistan after promising assistance in securing asylum and employment abroad, before transferring them to military camps along the Durand Line for training.

The ministry claimed the individuals were subsequently sent into Afghanistan to create insecurity in Nuristan.

It called on young people and former military personnel who it said had been deceived by Pakistani intelligence agencies and “Shar-o-Fasad” elements to avoid becoming involved in such activities and to surrender to Afghan security forces.

The statement also urged countries in the region to remain vigilant over what it described as Pakistan’s efforts to export conflict by training and deploying hostile groups into neighbouring countries.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women have launched a joint initiative to expand access to finance and business support for Afghan women entrepreneurs.

The Afghanistan Women’s Fund for Resilient Enterprises (AWFRE) will provide Sharia-compliant, collateral-free financing alongside financial and digital literacy training, mentoring, business planning and support to access markets.

An initial joint investment of $1.7 million will support about 1,500 women entrepreneurs over the next year, indirectly benefiting more than 14,000 people through stronger businesses, household incomes and economic activity.

The initiative comes amid a significant financing gap for Afghan women entrepreneurs. Fewer than 7% of women in Afghanistan have a bank account or use mobile money services, leaving many women-led businesses dependent on personal savings, loans from family and friends, or the sale of personal assets.

More Afghan women are turning to entrepreneurship to earn income and support their families. More than 10,000 Afghan women now hold business licences, around ten times the number five years ago, while the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce estimates another 120,000 are trading without licences.

“The challenge for Afghan women entrepreneurs is not a lack of enterprise, but limited access to the finance, skills and networks they need to grow,” said Turhan Saleh, UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan.

UN Women Special Representative Susan Ferguson said expanding women’s access to finance was critical to enabling women-led businesses to grow.

“Afghan women are finding ways to build businesses, despite the many obstacles they face,” Ferguson said. “Expanding access to finance can help women entrepreneurs turn their ideas and skills into stronger businesses, more jobs and greater economic security for their families and communities.”

UNDP and UN Women are seeking an additional $10 million to expand the programme, which would allow another 10,000 women entrepreneurs to access financing and business support and indirectly benefit an estimated 70,000 people.

The initiative aims to help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses, access new markets and develop more sustainable sources of income.