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MoD rejects claims that Faryab district has fallen to Taliban
Faryab Provincial Council members on Thursday claimed Almar district in the province had fallen to the Taliban but the Ministry of Defense said there was no truth in these reports.
According to Faryab council officials, government forces were under siege for several days in Almar but eventually withdrew after widespread attacks by the Taliban.
They said the district fell once troops withdrew and that both sides sustained heavy casualties.
However, other officials said that security forces retreated from the district center in order to “prevent casualties of civilians and local forces.
“Security forces surrounded the Taliban but they managed to escape and move to Khawja Osman base which is 4 km away from the center of Almar,” local sources said.
In addition to this, Faryab police said that acting district police chief Mohammad Amin Patang crossed sides on Wednesday afternoon and joined the Taliban.
Abdul Karim Yourish, a spokesman for the provincial police chief also said Patang had joined the Taliban. He said this was due to the intensity of the Taliban attacks.
Yourish said Patang was appointed as acting police chief of Almar three months ago.
Security sources in the district meanwhile said a number of security and defense force members in the district had been under siege but that the siege was broken Thursday and the trapped security force members had been rescued.
The Ministry of Defense meanwhile denied claims that Almar district had fallen to the Taliban and said in a statement that ANDSF conducted an operation in the district and cleared large areas of Taliban. The MoD emphasized that the district is under ANDSF control.
“The published news about the fall of Almar district of Faryab province is incorrect. ANDSF conducted an operation in the district and cleared off vast areas of Taliban and the district is under control of ANDSF,” MoD said in a statement.
Provincial Governor Naqibullah Fayeq also denied reports of the district having fallen to the Taliban but said he has decided to move the staff out of the government district office due to security threats.
“Today’s operation, which was aimed at rescuing soldiers, [resulted in] 36 Taliban being killed in the area; the enemy line was defeated and the Taliban lost the ability to confront the security forces. The operations of the commandos continue and tonight the remaining parts of Almar Bazaar will be cleared of the enemy,” Fayeq said.
The Taliban has not yet commented.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
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Uzbekistan and Japan discuss joint projects for Afghanistan’s socio-economic development
The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, has met with Tetsuya Yamada, Director General of the South Asia Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan-related development projects.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides focused on the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at supporting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Japanese side praised Uzbekistan’s “pragmatic approach” toward Afghanistan, as well as the infrastructure developed in the border city of Termez.
Japan also expressed interest in utilizing the Termez facilities for future humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, private sector development, and counter-narcotics efforts.
Both sides emphasized that such cooperation is aimed at improving the living conditions and overall well-being of the Afghan people.
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