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Nineteen EU countries and Norway call for return of Afghans living illegally in Europe
The countries urged the European Commission to place the return of Afghans at the top of its migration agenda and to begin discussions with the IEA administration on establishing a formal return agreement.
Nineteen European Union member states and Norway have urged the European Commission to take immediate steps to repatriate Afghan nationals residing illegally in Europe, either through voluntary return programs or forced deportations — a move that could include negotiating directly with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) authorities in Kabul.
The joint appeal, led by Belgium’s Minister for Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, was detailed in a letter addressed to Magnus Brunner, the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration. Van Bossuyt confirmed the initiative on Saturday, saying the inability to deport Afghans — including those convicted of crimes — poses “a threat to public safety” and “undermines trust in the EU’s asylum system.”
The letter was signed by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, and Norway.
The countries urged the European Commission to place the return of Afghans at the top of its migration agenda and to begin discussions with the IEA administration on establishing a formal return agreement.
Van Bossuyt proposed that Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency, take on a stronger role in coordinating voluntary returns through the EU Reintegration Programme. For forced returns, the ministers suggested prioritising individuals considered dangerous or criminal, potentially through a joint repatriation mission involving the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and willing member states.
Since the IEA takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, European countries have lacked any formal return mechanism, as the EU does not recognize the IEA as the legitimate government. The absence of a repatriation framework has led to growing political pressure within the bloc, particularly among governments facing public concern over migration and security.
Germany, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative government, has already taken steps toward limited cooperation with the IEA on deportations. In July, Berlin conducted a flight returning 81 Afghan nationals, the first such operation since 2021. Merz’s government has signaled hopes that other EU states will follow suit.
However, the move drew criticism from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which maintains a “non-return advisory” for Afghanistan.
UN human rights officials have also voiced concern. Arafat Jamal, a representative of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said his team continues to document “ongoing human rights violations” in Afghanistan, including restrictions on women’s rights, arbitrary detentions, and targeted attacks.
Despite the humanitarian warnings, several European governments argue that establishing a structured return mechanism is necessary to uphold the credibility of Europe’s migration policies and ensure that those denied asylum can be lawfully repatriated.
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Khalilzad warns Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions likely to worsen after fresh airstrikes
Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the latest Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and recent violence inside Pakistan are part of a wider crisis, saying he sees no indication that the situation is about to change.
In a post on X on Thursday, Khalilzad described the Pakistani airstrikes that have killed Afghan civilians and the increasing use of force against civilians in Pakistan as “interconnected tragedies,” implying both effected by Pakistan’s establishment.
“Unfortunately, I do not see any signs of change,” Khalilzad said, adding that current indicators suggested the use of force against Pakistanis would “likely get worse” in the coming days.
His comments came after Pakistan carried out a new wave of airstrikes inside Afghanistan overnight Thursday, saying it had targeted 10 locations used to launch and store drones.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghan territory a day earlier and described them as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”
Afghan officials said the strikes killed four civilians. The attacks reportedly hit locations including Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities have denied launching the drones cited by Pakistan and have condemned the strikes.
The latest attacks follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while the United Nations confirmed that three Afghan civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed, with four others injured.
The renewed airstrikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Afghan authorities reject the allegations and say militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.
Khalilzad has previously called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward both its internal security problems and Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.
The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.
The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.
The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.
It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.
The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.
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Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar
The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.
Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.
Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.
According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.
Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.
The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.
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