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British minister says officials speak regularly but UK ‘some way off’ recognizing IEA

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Britain’s foreign office minister of state, Andrew Mitchell, said Wednesday the UK is “some way off” moving to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan although officials from both sides speak regularly.

Responding to calls from former minister Tobias Ellwood for the UK to re-engage with the IEA and reopen the Kabul embassy, Mitchell said the UK government has a “pragmatic dialogue” with the IEA but needs to “keep the pressure on them to change their approach”.

He also said the government will keep “very much under review” calls to reopen the UK embassy in Afghanistan, but he noted the security and political situation does not currently allow them to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul.

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mitchell said the IEA’s “increasingly repressive” policies have had a “devastating impact” on women and girls in Afghanistan while minority groups face “discrimination and attacks”.

He said the basic expectations, as made clear by UN resolutions, include ensuring Afghanistan will “no longer be used as a base for terrorist activities”.

Mitchell told MPs: “Our senior officials speak regularly to the Taliban (IEA), including to secure the release of four British national detainees last October.

“Officials also visit Kabul when the situation permits, including a visit last month from the British charge d’affaires to Kabul, where he met a wide range of senior Taliban figures.

“Regardless of the complexities of the relationship, the UK government has helped lead the way in securing the Afghan people.

“In respect of (Mr Ellwood’s) plea about the embassy, we will note what he has said and keep that very much under review.”

Mitchell also said the UK has dispersed more than £600 million since 2021 in aid for Afghanistan.

Mitchell added: “Our intention since August 2021 has been to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul when the security and political situation allows. We do not believe that is the case at the moment but officials continue to visit and we’ll keep this under close review.

“We’re clear that we must have a pragmatic dialogue with the Taliban (IEA) however this does not amount to recognition. We are some way off moving to recognise the Taliban and we need to keep the pressure on them to change their approach.

“This does not stop us from having an impact on the ground and directly helping the people of Afghanistan in any pragmatic way.”

The IEA has not yet commented on Mitchell’s address to British MPs.

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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.

Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.

Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”

 

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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities

He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”

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Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”

Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.

“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.

Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.

He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.

Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”

He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”

His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.

The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.

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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin

Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”

Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.

“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.

He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.

Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”

He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.

His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.

The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.

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