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CSTO says Tajik-Afghan border security still ‘complicated’
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly stated that Afghan territory will not be used against any country.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) says the security situation along the Tajik-Afghan border remains “complicated,” citing ongoing concerns over militant activity in northern Afghanistan.
Viktor Vasilyev, chairman of the CSTO Permanent Council, said this week that instability in Central Asia continues to stem from threats posed by militants operating near Afghanistan’s northern border region.
Speaking at a forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Vasilyev said member states plan to intensify joint efforts to counter militant groups that, according to Tajik and Chinese authorities, have carried out attacks on Chinese-backed business interests and other sporadic cross-border incidents affecting Tajikistan. Afghanistan’s ruling authorities have expressed regret over such incidents, but he said the security situation remains fragile in remote border areas.
“Despite Russia’s and several Central Asian countries’ efforts to establish contacts with the current authorities in Kabul, the security situation remains complicated,” Vasilyev said, calling it the CSTO’s main concern in the region, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
He added that the bloc plans to expand coordinated operations, including efforts to “neutralize militant and extremist groups” that he said continue to accumulate along Afghanistan’s northern borders. He also described reported shelling of Tajik territory from Afghanistan as a “particular concern.”
The CSTO, which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, has previously supported Tajikistan through military equipment and joint exercises aimed at strengthening border security along its 1,200-kilometer frontier with Afghanistan.
However, Armenia has suspended its participation in the alliance, citing dissatisfaction over CSTO inaction during past conflicts with Azerbaijan, and has instead pursued closer ties with Europe and the United States. The issue of Armenia’s status is expected to be discussed at the ongoing forum in St. Petersburg.
Vasilyev, a veteran Russian Foreign Ministry official, assumed the rotating CSTO chairmanship in January and is set to remain in the position until the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly stated that Afghan territory will not be used against any country and has assured that it will not allow any armed group to operate from Afghan soil against neighboring states.
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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
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.”
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.
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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