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NDS chief claims Taliban has reneged on its accord with US
Ahmad Zia Saraj, head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), told a Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) session on Monday that the Taliban has not cut its ties with “foreign terrorists” nor has the group reduced levels of violence as per the US-Taliban agreement signed in February last year.
Saraj along with Interior Minister Massoud Andarabi were both summoned to answer questions put to them by MPs on the security situation in the country.
Discussing the Taliban, Saraj said the group has focused on targeted killings, especially against civil society activists and journalists.
According to Saraj, suspects involved in five of the last eight attacks, have been arrested and three attacks on journalists had been foiled.
The NDS chief said RDX was being used in most magnetic IEDs, but that ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride were also being used.
In his answers to the Wolesi Jirga, Andarabi said a new unit of the security forces comprised of Afghan police, Afghan army and the NDS has been established to focus solely on militant activities.
He said a trial of this new unit has been launched in Farah and the unit’s activities will be boosted by summer.
According to Andarabi, a number of Taliban attacks have been thwarted in the south of the country and at least 1,000 Taliban fighters were killed in Helmand and Kandahar in recent months.
Andarabi said that the Taliban is conducting targeted attacks to create attention in the media and affect people’s trust in the government.
Andarabi also warned that the Taliban is preparing for a full-scale campaign for the next fighting season.
This comes after the Taliban on Monday accused the United States of violating its agreement with the group by conducting airstrikes against them.
However, US Forces Afghanistan spokesman Sonny Leggett rejected the claim and said: “US Forces have been clear and consistent. We will defend Afghan forces against (Taliban) attacks. We renew our call for all sides to reduce violence,” he said.
“The Taliban’s campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders and journalists must also cease for peace to succeed,” he added.
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Afghan official slams Shehbaz Sharif’s ‘shameful’ claims on Islamic unity
Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, sharply criticized Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over his recent claims about Islamic unity in relation to the war in Iran, calling them “shameful.”
On his X account, Ghaffran wrote: “You praised Trump as a hero of the Gaza peace plan, yet today you claim Islamic unity regarding Iran in a war that the same criminal (Trump) and his allies initiated?”
He added that while Afghanistan is governed under an Islamic system, Shehbaz Sharif has shown no compassion even toward the most vulnerable groups—from children to women and drug addicts—and that this cruelty persisted even during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ghaffran described Sharif’s stance as a “grave shame” and a stark example of “historical hypocrisy.”
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Airstrike on Kabul drug rehabilitation centre sparks legal concerns
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
An airstrike on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul has drawn sharp criticism from Amnesty International, raising serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law.
The strike, carried out on 16 March, targeted a site at Camp Phoenix, a former military base that has functioned largely as a rehabilitation centre since 2016. Pakistani officials have claimed the attack was aimed at an ammunition depot allegedly located within the compound.
Responding to those claims, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
“While the total number of casualties has yet to be independently verified, it is clear that the attack caused extensive civilian harm, with reports indicating hundreds killed or injured,” she said.
Lassee emphasized that the facility was widely known to house civilians undergoing treatment, and warned that any military action should have taken this into account. “Pakistan’s military should have taken all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she added.
She further noted that even if a military target had been present within the compound, international law requires that any strike be proportionate, ensuring that civilian harm is not excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.
“The scale of destruction raises serious concerns about whether an adequate proportionality assessment was conducted and whether sufficient steps were taken to verify the target and minimize civilian casualties,” Lassee said.
Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to disclose the intelligence behind the strike and to launch an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the incident. The organization stressed that findings should be made public to ensure accountability.
The group also urged all parties involved in the conflict to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and to protect civilian infrastructure, including medical and rehabilitation facilities.
The airstrike formed part of Pakistan’s “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” which included strikes in both Kabul and Nangarhar Province. The targeted rehabilitation centre, known as Omid, reportedly had the capacity to accommodate around 2,000 individuals.
Casualty figures remain contested. Islamic Emirate officials claim more than 400 civilians were killed and over 200 injured, though these numbers have not been independently verified. The United Nations has so far confirmed 143 deaths.
The strike comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 76 civilian casualties had already been recorded since the conflict intensified in February.
Pakistani officials, meanwhile, reported civilian casualties on their side of the border, including four deaths in Bajaur district on 15 March and the killing of a child in North Waziristan earlier in the month, allegedly due to cross-border fire from Afghanistan.
The latest developments underscore growing concerns about civilian safety as hostilities between the two countries continue to intensify.
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