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Taliban accuses Afghan government intelligence of torturing the group’s prisoners
The Taliban accused the Afghan intelligence of torturing prisoners of the group for admitting to receiving money from Russia to kill American soldiers.
The claim of Russia rewarding Taliban fighters for killing US troops in Afghanistan is now slowly being linked to the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Recently, Khairullah Khairkhah, a member of the Taliban political group in Qatar, said that no one could prove that the Taliban had taken money from Russia to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan.
“They have tortured prisoners to confess about the matter so that they can report to the world, while everything is completely baseless and no one can prove that the Taliban is receiving military assistance from Russia,” said Khairullah Khairkhah, a member of the Taliban political group in Qatar.
But Afghanistan’s national security says that it treats prisoners according to human rights law.
On the other hand, the Russian Foreign Minister once again called Russia’s involvement in this issue baseless and said that a number of US officials are initiating this claim to harm the Trump administration on the verge of the presidential election.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “I can only say that all these allegations are based on speculation and no clear facts have been presented.”
The Taliban have previously denied receiving money from Russia to kill US troops in Afghanistan, but this is the first time the Taliban have acknowledged their prisoners’ confession through torture by Afghan intelligence.
Although the Afghan government has said it will not release some 600 Taliban prisoners on serious charges, sources close to the Taliban say that the group still insists on releasing prisoners on the basis of a pre-arranged list and does not agree with the new list of prisoners.
“They still want the prisoners to be released according to the previous list. No new list has been arranged and has not been handed over to the government,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban member.
Afghanistan’s allied countries also appear to be opposed to the release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners accused of involvement in major events, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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US Justice Department to seek death penalty for Afghan suspect in National Guard shooting
The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it intends to seek the death penalty for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House in November, an incident that left one guard member dead and another injured.
Lakanwal, who previously worked with U.S. agencies in Afghanistan before relocating to the United States in 2021, appeared in a federal court this week and pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including first-degree murder.
Prosecutors told the judge they are pursuing “death-eligible charges.”
According to U.S. court documents, Lakanwal is accused of traveling from Washington state to the capital, where he allegedly attacked the two National Guard officers.
A third guard member detained him shortly after the incident. One of the victims, Sarah Beckstrom, died a day later, while the second, Andrew Wolfe, remains under medical care.
Court filings claim Lakanwal had obtained a pistol shortly before the attack and had also purchased ammunition. Prosecutors say he conducted online searches related to Washington, D.C., before the shooting.
Lakanwal is scheduled to appear for his next court hearing in early May.
China has warned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the terrorist threat in Afghanistan remains severe and requires urgent international attention, citing the continued presence and activities of several extremist groups on Afghan soil.
Speaking at the Council’s meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, Chinese envoy Sun Lei said organizations such as ISIL, al-Qaeda and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) are still operating in Afghanistan and pose “persistent threats” to the country and the wider region.
Sun referred to last month’s deadly explosion at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan, which killed seven people and was claimed by ISIL-K, as a reminder of the group’s ongoing operational capability. He urged the Afghan authorities to “attach great importance” to counterterrorism efforts and to take concrete measures to prevent the country from once again becoming a hub for extremist networks.
He added that China supports deeper regional cooperation — particularly among Central Asian states and through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) — to jointly confront cross-border terrorist threats, while also helping Afghanistan stabilize its economy.
Pakistan’s envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad also raised concerns, saying the Afghan authorities continue to provide a “permissive environment” for groups such as TTP, al-Qaeda, ISIL-K and ETIM/TIP. He warned that these organizations endanger not only Pakistan but the entire region, and highlighted the risk of advanced weapons left behind in Afghanistan falling into militant hands.
U.S. representative Mike Waltz broadened the discussion, noting the expansion of al-Qaeda affiliates and ISIL-linked groups in West Africa and the Sahel, as well as the resilience of ISIL cells in Syria and Iraq. He said ISIL-K (Daesh) remains a persistent threat in Afghanistan, underscoring the need for sustained and coordinated global counterterrorism efforts.
Regional countries have repeatedly raised concern about terrorist threats in Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns, reiterating that it will not allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates freed around 108 Afghan prisoners on the occasion of its National Day.
According to the statement, a number of those released have already returned to the country, while the remaining individuals will be repatriated in the near future after the completion of legal and administrative procedures.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude to the UAE government and relevant institutions for their cooperation and humanitarian gesture, and assured that efforts to follow up on the cases of Afghan prisoners abroad will continue.
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