Five years after U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate returned to power, IEA’s foreign minister has called on Washington to reopen its embassy in Kabul and invest in the country, including its mineral resources and infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in an interview with The New York Times that Afghanistan now wants relations with the United States based on “mutual respect” and a new period of engagement.

“We consider the chapter of war to have come to an end,” Muttaqi said, adding that the United States could reopen its embassy, maintain a diplomatic presence and invest in Afghanistan’s mines, dams and roads.

The appeal comes as the IEA seeks to reduce Afghanistan’s international isolation and expand diplomatic and economic ties. In recent years, it has strengthened relations with Russia, Uzbekistan and other regional countries and held talks with European governments over the return of Afghan migrants.

Muttaqi rejected any possibility of a renewed U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, saying Afghans would not accept foreign troops on their soil.

Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council said Afghanistan’s mineral wealth could be an attractive issue for the Trump administration, particularly because of its focus on economic interests.

The United States spent nearly $1 billion between 2004 and 2021 trying to develop Afghanistan’s mining sector, but a U.S. government watchdog later concluded that the effort had produced little tangible progress.

The IEA has since signed mining and investment agreements with companies from countries including China, Iran and Qatar.

Former U.S. diplomat Robin Raphel said renewed American engagement could potentially give Washington greater access to Afghanistan’s mineral resources, strengthen ties with Central Asia and provide a way to compete with China and Russia.

“But that requires hands-on engagement through a U.S. presence in Kabul, which remains a hard sell in Washington,” Raphel said.

As Afghanistan marks the fifth anniversary of the Islamic Emirate’s return to power, Richard Lindsay, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said on Friday the country cannot reach its full potential without the participation of women and girls in education, employment and public life.

Lindsay said in a post on X that the resilience of Afghan women and girls over the past five years has been “incredible,” but said their resilience should not be a substitute for their fundamental rights.

Lindsay stressed that the UK remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan.

Tajikistan has sent a protest note to the Afghan authorities following an alleged violation of its airspace, damage to residential buildings and the death of a civilian in Darvoz district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), the Tajik Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Tajik media outlet Asia-Plus, citing the Information and Press Department of Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry, reported that armed clashes in recent days in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, particularly in districts bordering Tajikistan’s Darvoz district, have posed a threat to the security of Tajik border areas and resulted in violations of international law.

The ministry said Tajikistan’s airspace was violated during the fighting, several homes were damaged and one civilian was killed in Darvoz district.

In response, Tajikistan delivered a formal protest note to the Afghan side, expressing strong concern over the incident and calling on the Afghan authorities to respect the inviolability of Tajikistan’s state border.

Dushanbe also demanded that effective measures be taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

An official source in the Darvoz district administration told Asia-Plus that the victim was identified as 21-year-old Yosuman Yatimzoda, a resident of Dashtak village.

She leaves behind a young child. According to sources, Yatimzoda was also pregnant.

The incident occurred at around 6:40 p.m. on August 13. Yatimzoda was at home doing household chores when a bullet entered through a window and struck her in the liver area.

“The woman was taken to the district central hospital, but she died on the way,” an Asia-Plus source said.

However, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has not yet commented on the report.