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An estimated 600 freed Taliban prisoners back on battlefields: MoI
Afghan Ministry of Interior on Tuesday told Ariana News that around 600 Taliban fighters have returned to the battlefields since their release from prison earlier this year.
According to the ministry, many have been killed but the Taliban has stepped up attacks by changing their tactics.
Until now, the Taliban has not commented but the group’s fighters have ambushed several security checkposts around the country in the past 48 hours.
This comes after Second Vice President Sarwar Danish announced on Monday that someTaliban fighters had returned to the battlefields soon after they were released from prison.
“Government has released more than 6,000 Taliban prisoners since the Doha agreement [signed in February between the US and Taliban], but some of them have returned to the battlefields,” Danish said.
Danish also said the lack of flexibility by the Taliban has led to the stalled peace talks in Doha.
“Taliban’s inflexibility is the main cause of the existing stalemate in Doha talks,” Danish said.
As violence continues to escalate across multiple fronts in the country – despite international calls on the Taliban to reduce violence – insurgents released from Afghan government jails have reintegrated with their co-fighters on the battlefields, the Office of the National Security Council (ONSC) stated in July.
“The Taliban fighters signed [agreements] on paper and made commitments that they will not return to the war, regrettably some of these inmates have returned to the war fronts in defiance of the expectations of the Afghan people,” Jawed Faisal, a spokesman for the ONSC said in July this year.
The Taliban however have rejected such reports.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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